Pediatric ADHD: Hot Topics From Psych Congress

In this video, Greg Mattingly, MD, Physician & Principal Investigator, Midwest Research Group, St Charles, Missouri, and Associate Professor, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, discusses the “hot topics” in pediatric attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that were presented at the recent Psych Congress in San Antonio.

The 2021 Psych Congress preconference events and sessions were centered around pediatric psychiatry and exploring new ways and treatments for children and adolescents.

Read the transcript:

Greg Mattingly:  Hello. I'm Greg Mattingly, coming to you from San Antonio in the US Psych Congress. I thought I'd start out by talking about hot topics. What's been hot here at the meeting this year?

We've been covering [attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder] ADHD. ADHD across the spectrum, the challenges with children, the challenges with adolescents, the challenges into adulthood, those life transitions where things can go off the mark with kids with ADHD.

We've talked about the importance of consistent treatment. One of the studies we highlighted was a study done by my good friend, Joe Biederman, at the Harvard group where they said, "Let's take a look at compliance with medications."

Medicines don't work if they're not there. They looked at parents of kids with ADHD over a several-month period. Unfortunately, they found that only 51% of parents continue to give their kid their medicines consistently.

If they use just a simple intervention, sending them text message reminders, "Hey, good days start with good beginnings. Weekends are just as important as Mondays. Keep your kid on your medicine. Make sure your kid has the best chance for a good future. Keep them on their medicine." Compliance went up to 91%.

Using technology to be our friend, using technology to be for our advantage, to improve the outcomes of kids with ADHD.

We talked about a few new products that have hit the market. We talked about a new nonstimulant, which was recently approved for children with ADHD, viloxazine extended-release. I give this an option for children where maybe stimulants hadn't been the right choice. Now [US Food and Drug Administration] FDA-approved for children with data submitting in front of the FDA for adult indications as well.

On the stimulant side of things, we talked about our newest release stimulant, [serdexmethylphenidate and dexmethylphenidate]. It's a prodrug methylphenidate. As a prodrug methylphenidate, we could sustain continuous release over time. It's a d-methylphenidate preparation that's approved for children, adolescents, and adults for ADHD.

Soon on the horizon with data now submitted to the FDA, we have a transdermal amphetamine patch, a patch that can be worn that you wear for 9 hours. It continues to release medicine in your system where we see 12-hours symptom control. New technologies, new options for children struggling with ADHD.