In a world where schools are often the first link in the marketing chain for pharmaceuticals treating ADD/ADHD, Japan has set an interesting precedent by stringently controlling access to the central nervous system stimulant.
The drug will be approved only for treatment of narcolepsy and subject to controls similar to those for narcotic pain relievers. Novartis Pharma K.K., which makes and distributes the drug, will develop a new distribution system by next year, and hospitals and pharmacies that prescribe the drug will have to be pre-registered. Janssen Pharmaceutical in Japan has proposed a similar management system for the ADHD drug, Concerta. More from Japan's Yomiuru Shinbun.
Perhaps the rest of the world could consider similar controls. ADD and ADHD may be bona fide conditions, but the terms also serve as overly broad umbrellas covering a huge range of potential underlying problems and conditions. All of which means that all too many children are receiving treatment for "conditions" that they don't really have and taking medications that wreak havoc with their nervous systems.
-AMS
