The use of Strattera® (atomoxetine HCl) in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children is 4.2 times more likely to lead into changing the therapy compared to when stimulants were initially used.

Such were the results of a study conducted by pharmacy benefit manager Prime Therapeutics LLC (Prime).

In lieu of such results, Prime has developed programs that promote the use of a stimulant drug prior to the use of Strattera®.

According to Patrick Gleason, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy and Medical Integration at Prime:

"We believe that children who start on Strattera are more likely to change therapies because they are experiencing side effects or the drug is not working effectively.

Because stimulants have been around longer and are available in generic forms, physicians and medical care providers have a lot more experience with them. They generally cost less and they don't have the suicidal ideation black box warning that Strattera has."

Results of the study have been presented recently at the 19th Annual American Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Conference in San Diego.

Straterra®, a product of Eli Lilly and Company and a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, is the first and only non-stimulant medication approved by the USFDA for the treatment of ADHD in children, adolescents, and adults.

Find more details from the full report (a pdf file).