FDA Looking Into Advertising of ADHD and Acne Drugs in Teens
November 5th, 2013 // 2:27 pm @ jmpickett
FDA wants to understand better how teenagers perceive commercials that are aimed at them for treatments for acne and also attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
FDA is going to show teens fake sites that FDA will come up with for fictitious drugs that are used to treat acne and ADHD, and will see how the teens respond, compared with older people. The study is going to help to determine if some drugs could require more caution when advertised on the Web.
Adolescent social, cognitive and emotional skills can have an effect on how they weigh the different benefits and risks of each drug, according to FDA. Research has indicated that the frontal lobe of the human brain has not developed fully until about age 25, and it affects how young people make decisions.
It is important for FDA to understand how teens weigh benefits and risks, given that there is a higher chance of adverse events with some of the drugs that teenagers get prescriptions for, according to the agency. In some cases, suicide has been associated with some drugs that are designed for teenagers, including some acne drugs.
Isotretinoin is the main ingredient in Accutane, which is made by Roche, and now is in generic versions made by Teva Pharmaceuticals and Mylan. Istretinoin has been associated with both depression and suicide and also severe birth defects. Only certain doctors are able to prescribe the drug now. Ritalin also has been linked to delusional thinking and halluciations.
