The ADDUCE Consortium

Project summary

Background

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children, affecting approximately 5% of the children in Europe. Methylphenidate (MPH) is the most-commonly prescribed medication for ADHD children; it is also increasingly used in ADHD adults. Study of the long-term effects of MPH on growth, sexual development, the neurological system, psychiatric states and the cardiovascular system is needed. The ADDUCE project aims to investigate these long-term adverse effects of MPH in children and adults.

Objectives

The key objectives of the ADDUCE project are:
 
1.  To perform a series of pharmacovigilance studies that will lead to innovative knowledge with respect to the long-term adverse effects of methylphenidate that constitutes major public health concerns as specified by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
 
2.  To address scientific questions about prevalence, clinical significance, development and moderating and/or mediating factors of four specific classes of long-term adverse effects of methylphenidate: growth, neurological, psychiatric and cardiovascular adverse effects.
 
3.  To develop new research tools and to identify new safety issues for future pharmacovigilance research for the treatment of ADHD.
 
4.  To promote public health by disseminating the innovative knowledge acquired by the proposed studies to regulatory authorities, scientific community, medical and mental health professionals, to patients and their families, policy makers and to society in general, in order to promote the safer use of methylphenidate.

Summary of the ADDUCE project

The ADDUCE project aims to investigate the long-term adverse effects of MPH on growth, neurological system, psychiatric states and cardiovascular system in children and adults. The ADDUCE Consortium will use multiple pharmacoepidemiological research methods to achieve its aim:
 
(1) Retrospective analysis of existing databases.
 
(2) 2-year prospective cohort study recruiting 800 MPH-treated children and adolescents and 800 controls.
 
(3) Cross-sectional study (600 MPH-treated patients and 600 controls) in late adolescents and young adults.
 
Furthermore the ADDUCE team will develop research tools for the evaluation of adverse effects of MPH on cognition and motivation.
 
The project consists of 10 work packages (WP’s).
 
  • WP 1: Project management 
  • WP 2: Retrospective Cohort Data Acquisition
  • WP 3: Establishment of a prospective cohort for long-term surveillance
  • WP 4: Data Management and Statistics
  • WP 5: Longterm adverse development effects (growth & pubertal maturation) of methylphenidate treatment for ADHD
  • WP 6: Long-term adverse neurological effects of methylphenidate treatment for ADHD
  • WP 7: Long-term adverse psychiatric effects of methylphenidate treatment for ADHD
  • WP 8: Long-term adverse cardiovascular effects of methylphenidate treatment for ADHD
  • WP 9: Ethics
  • WP 10: Training, quality control and dissemination

News

The fifth ADDUCE Newsletter is now available!

Here, you can read about the finalisation of the project,

the European Medicines Agency and General Assembly meetings

and the dissemination of the results!

The fourth ADDUCE Newsletter is available!
 
In this newsletter, you can find some information on the final recruitment status of the 2 main studies:
- the prospective open-label methylphenidate pharmacovigilance study

- the long-term cardiascular effects of methylphenidate use
 
Also, you can read about the future plans of the project!

More than 1500 children, adolescents and adults across all Europe already took part in our study! Thanks to them, we have already gathered lots of information so we can know a lot more about methylphenidate than ever before! 

 

Did you participate in the ADDUCE studies and are you curious about the latest news on the project?

Here you can find some information!

News for children, April 2015

News for adolescents, April 2015

News for parents, April 2015

The third ADDUCE Newsletter is available!
 

Read more about the ADDUCE studies:

- the prospective open-label methylphenidate pharmacovigilance study: recruitment status and spin-
off studies
- the long-term cardiovascular effects of methylphenidate use: study design and participation
 

and much more in the ADDUCE Newsletter 3, March 2015

 

The second ADDUCE Newsletter is available!
Read more about the 2 main ADDUCE studies:

  • WP3: prospective open-label methylphenidate
    pharmacovigilance study
  • WP8: long-term cardiovascular effects of methylphenidate use

and much more in the ADDUCE Newsletter 2, February 2013

Events

16 - 19 OCTOBER 2016:

4rd EUNETHYDIS International Conference on ADHD, Berlin - Germany
from basis neuroscience to optimised clinical care

17 & 18 APRIL 2016:

ADDUCE Consortium meeting, London - UK

28 - 31 MAY 2015:

5th World Congress on ADHD: from Child to Adult Disorder, Glasgow - Scotland

20 & 21 APRIL 2015:

ADDUCE Consortium meeting, Salina - Italy

21 - 24 MAY 2014:

3rd EUNETHYDIS International Conference on ADHD, Istanbul - Turkey
ADHD and related disorders

19 & 20 MAY 2014:

ADDUCE Consortium meeting, Istanbul - Turkey

3 - 6 OCTOBER 2013:

23rd EUNETHYDIS Network Meeting, Prague Czech Republic
A meeting of the European Network of Hyperkinetic Disorders

6 - 9 JUNE 2013:            

4th World Congress on ADHD: from Childhood to Adult Disease, Milan - Italy

4 & 5 JUNE 2013:

ADDUCE Consortium meeting, Milan - Italy

 6 & 7 JUNE 2012:            

ADDUCE Consortium meeting, Cagliari - Italy

23 MAY 2012:

2nd EUNETHYDIS International Conference on ADHD, Barcelona - Spain