IT HAD been touted as a safer alternative to the amphetamine-like stimulants prescribed to millions of hyperactive children and young adults. Now concerns about a potentially fatal side effect have crushed plans to market modafinil as a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Modafinil, which boosts wakefulness and focus, is approved for adults with excessive sleepiness. A proposal to market it for treating ADHD hit a snag in March when one of 933 children taking part in a clinical trial developed a life-threatening skin condition (New Scientist, 1 April, p 8).
“A child in the clinical trial developed a life-threatening skin condition”…
