A Long-Term, Open-Label Safety and Tolerability Study of Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate in Children Aged 4-5 Years with

Ann C Childress1, Eric Lloyd2, Steven A Johnson3

  • 1Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Insights

Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) was evaluated for long-term safety in preschool children with ADHD. The study found LDX to be well-tolerated, with significant reductions in ADHD symptoms over 52 weeks.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Psychiatry
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder impacting preschool-aged children.
  • Long-term safety data for ADHD pharmacotherapies in this young population are crucial for clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the long-term safety and tolerability of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) in children aged 4-5 years with ADHD.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of LDX in reducing ADHD symptoms over a 52-week treatment period.

Main Methods:

  • Phase 3, open-label, 52-week study involving 113 preschool children (4-5 years) diagnosed with ADHD.
  • Participants received dose-optimized LDX (5-30 mg once daily).
  • Safety was monitored via treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and vital signs; efficacy was measured by ADHD Rating Scale-IV Preschool version total scores (ADHD-RS-IV-PS-TS).

Main Results:

  • 61.1% of participants completed the 52-week study.
  • 76.1% experienced TEAEs, with decreased appetite (15.9%) being the most common; no serious TEAEs were reported.
  • Mean reduction in ADHD-RS-IV-PS-TS from baseline was -24.2 (±13.34), indicating significant symptom improvement.

Conclusions:

  • Dose-optimized LDX (5-30 mg) demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile in preschool children with ADHD over 52 weeks.
  • LDX treatment was associated with substantial reductions in ADHD symptom severity in this age group.
  • These findings support the long-term use of LDX for managing ADHD in very young children.

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