An Effectiveness and Safety Study Evaluating OROS Methylphenidate Hydrochloride (HCl), Ritalin (Methylphenidate HCl) and Placebo in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Primary Outcome Measures:

• IOWA Conners Inattention/Overactivity subscale ratings by the Community School Teacher [ Time Frame: Up to Day 6 of each treatment period for a total of approximatly 18 days ]
  

Secondary Outcome Measures:

• SKAMP attention and deportment ratings [ Time Frame: Up to Day 7 of each of 3 treatment periods for a total of approximately 21 days ]
  
• Peer interaction ratings [ Time Frame: Up to Day 7 of each of 3 treatment periods for a total of approximately 21 days ]
  
• Laboratory School Teacher Global Assessments [ Time Frame: Up to Day 7 of each of 3 treatment periods for a total of approximately 21 days ]
  
• SNAP-IV ratings [ Time Frame: Up to Day 7 of each of 3 treatment periods for a total of approximately 21 days ]
  
• Incidence of adverse events [ Time Frame: Up to Day 7 of each of 3 treatment periods for a total of approximately 21 days ]
  

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) represents the most common neurobehavioral disorder in children, affecting 3% to 5% of the school-age population. Behavioral pediatricians, child psychiatrists, and child neurologists indicate that referrals for ADHD may constitute up to 50% of their practices. This is a double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, placebo-controlled, active-controlled, 3-treatment, 3-period crossover trial to compare the safety and effectiveness (onset of effect, time to loss of effect and overall efficacy) of OROS Methylphenidate Hydrochloride (HCl), with standard immediate-release Ritalin and placebo. During this study, patients receive each of the three treatments (OROS Methylphenidate HCl 18, 36 or 54 milligrams per day, Ritalin 5, 10 or 15 milligrams three times per day, or placebo) for 7 days, and are assigned to one of three dosage levels depending upon their prestudy methylphenidate dose and regimen. The total study participation for each patient will be 21 days. Since ADHD is manifested in a variety of settings and can affect attention and behavior, this study assesses efficacy in home, community school, and laboratory school settings using numerous assessments designed to evaluate various aspects of the disorder. These assessments are completed by a variety of raters, including the parents/caregivers, community school teachers, and laboratory school teachers. The primary measure of effectiveness is the community school teacher's rating on the IOWA Conners Inattention/Overactivity subscale. Additional measures of effectiveness include the IOWA Conners (Inattention/Overactivity and Oppositional/Defiance subscale) ratings, SKAMP attention and deportment ratings, peer interaction and other behavioral ratings, global assessments, SNAP-IV ratings, activity levels during structured activities, accuracy and productivity of independent assigned academic seatwork, and a home situation questionnaire. Safety evaluations include the incidence of adverse events, physical examinations, clinical laboratory tests, vital signs, sleep quality, actigraphy (sleep latency, duration, and arousals), appetite, and the presence/severity of tics (hard-to-control, repeated twitching of any parts of the body or hard-to-control repeating of sounds or words). Patients will be given oral doses of: OROS (methylphenidate HCl) 1, 2, or 3 of the 18-milligram tablets once daily, or Ritalin 5, 10, or 15 mg (encapsulated/single capsule) three times a day, or placebo. There are three treatment groups, each group dosing for 7 days for a total of 21 days on study.