Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
  • 6 days ago
Australia's most commonly prescribed drug for ADHD is under investigation after a spike in adverse reactions. The therapeutic goods administration is looking into 320 reports of adverse events relating to the drug Vyvanse.

Category

📺
TV
Transcript
00:00So, Vyvanse is one of the stimulant medications that we use for ADHD. It is helpful to increase
00:10the concentration of dopamine and noradrenaline in our brains, which help our executive functioning
00:17portion of our brain, and it helps us reduce the core symptoms of ADHD. The adverse effects
00:25that were reported earlier this year were mostly actually due to reported ineffectiveness
00:33of the medication. And this, we feel, was likely due to a typing error that was on the
00:41box of Vyvanse.
00:43Can you take us through a little bit more about what that potential typing error was and,
00:50I guess, how some of these adverse reports may relate to that?
00:58So, the typing error ended up insinuating that the dosage of the capsule was potentially
01:07spread across the entire bottle rather than individual. And so, it was ambiguous as to
01:12whether or not each capsule indeed held the entire contents as prescribed. So, a 20 milligram
01:18capsule, it was ambiguous as to whether that individual capsule had 20 milligrams or the
01:24entire bottle had 20 milligrams. And so, there were some complaints which were raised about
01:31the fact that people felt that their medication no longer was as effective as it had been in
01:36the past.
01:37So, we've seen that there have been 320 adverse events reported in the first six months of
01:45this year. That compares to just nine in the six months prior. That is a fairly significant
01:51jump. Do we know more about why that's come about?
01:54So, some of the other adverse effects that were noted were an increase in anxiety. And if
02:02your ADHD is not being managed well, then, and that may have been, if your ADHD is not
02:09being managed well, then it is difficult also to sometimes manage your anxiety because one
02:15can play into the other. And during that time, a lot of people who felt that the Vyvanse was
02:21not as effective were no longer taking their medicine during that time. And so, that may
02:25have compounded that as well.
02:27Is there potentially an element here as well of there simply also being more people on this
02:35medication?
02:36So, I think with the growing awareness of ADHD, then there is going to be a gradual increase
02:47in the number of people who are being treated for their ADHD. But I don't think it accounts
02:50for such a dramatic jump from nine reports in the second half of last year to over 300
02:57for the first half of this year. And I think if we look at this sensibly, it is more likely
03:04to be related to a misunderstanding around the labelling of the medication, which has been
03:09rectified by the company, rather than it being a true adverse offence that is attributable
03:17to the medication, which is a very relative, you know, is a safe medication and is our gold
03:22standard for treatment. Stimulant medications are our gold standard treatment for the core symptoms
03:28of ADHD.
03:29So, the Therapeutic Goods Administration is now investigating. What exactly will they
03:36be looking at and what could potentially come of that investigation?
03:40So, I am aware that the company that provides Vyvanse to Australia has been asked to assess
03:49the validity of the concentration of the medicine within their capsules to reassure its patients
03:58and clinicians, that the medicines do indeed contain the appropriate amount of medication.
04:05And I believe that that is almost completed. And that would be there to reassure clinicians,
04:11consumers, and families, and also the TGA that everything is well and truly above board with
04:18regard to Vyvanse in particular.

Recommended