US FDA orders ADHD drug warnings

The US Food and Drug Administration has directed all manufacturers of drugs that are approved for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder to alert users, via patient medication guides, of the possibility of cardiovascular risks and of adverse psychiatric symptoms. Drugmakers are also instructed to advise patients of precautions that can be taken.

Steven Galson, Director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, warned that "medicines approved for the treatment of ADHD have real benefits for many patients but they may have serious risks as well."

Dr Galson added: "in our commitment to strengthen drug safety, [the] FDA is working closely with manufacturers of all ADHD medicines to include important information in the product labeling and in developing new patient medication guides to better inform doctors and patients about these concerns."