A small Conservative step in the right direction. Via Bloomberg
Britain should consider tighter rules for prescribing Ritalin and study side effects of that drug and others used to manage attention deficit disorder, the opposition Conservative Party said.
About 2.5 billion 10 milligram pills of Ritalin were prescribed in the U.K. last year, up from 19.2 million in 2001, according to Department of Health statistics.
``There is concern that the prescription of it has gone up so fast,'' Conservative Party leader David Cameron said on GMTV. ``We're asking for a review because we just want to find out more about the possible side effects, the possible damages and also to ask'' whether other things can be done to help children with attention problems.
Earlier this year in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration told the makers of such medicines to produce brochures warning patients about risks of psychiatric harm and heart damage. The recommendation followed a debate among doctors, parents of children who use the drugs and FDA advisers about treatments for attention disorders.
Cameron emphasized that he wasn't asking for the drug to be withdrawn. Basel, Switzerland-based Novartis AG makes Ritalin, which competes with products such as Adderall by Shire Plc of Basingstoke, England, and Desoxyn by Ovation Pharmaceuticals Inc., which is based in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
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