Ask an Expert: Patch for ADD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Patch for ADD
09/25/2003

Question:

Is there a medication patch out there for ADD?

Answer:

The `MethyPatch` is not yet on the market. Although it has been dubbed the `Ritalin Patch` by many, it is actually not made by the company that makes Ritalin. Instead, it contains methylphenidate, a generic form of the medication. The FDA refused to license the patch in April of this year. Curiously, there is now a class action suit filed against the company by investors who lost a lot of money when the license was refused, that MethyPatch® was not as safe and efficacious as immediate release oral methylphenidate, that the way the patch worked was a problem, and that many of the company`s officers sold more than $500,000 worth of their own shares prior to the license refusal. I am not sure when the patch will be coming out. And if it does, it is unlikely to come out without significant improvements.

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Response by:

Susan Louisa Montauk, MD
Formerly Professor of Family Medicine
University of Cincinnati