Researchers in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy have secured a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to improve the safety and efficacy of the most widely prescribed medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
More than 6 million children between the ages of 4 and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. The stimulant medication methylphenidate, or MPH, is the most commonly prescribed ADHD medication, but one-in-three patients do not respond favorably to the medication. This study will examine the enzyme responsible for MPH metabolism, carboxylesterase 1, and identify and characterize genetic variants that affect enzyme expression and activity.
John S. Markowitz, Pharm.D., a professor of pharmacotherapy and translational research, will lead the five-year study, with Yan Gong, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacotherapy and translational research, and Stephan Schmidt, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmaceutics, serving as co-investigators. Researchers from the University of Michigan, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Seattle Children’s Hospital will collaborate on the study.