Healthy Skepticism Library item: 11537

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

Psychotropic drug Ritalin may be barred from depression patients
Japan Economic Newswire 2007 Sep 21
http://www.therapeuticsdaily.com/news/article.cfm?contentValue=1521581&contentType=sentryarticle&channelID=33

Full text:

TOKYO, Sept. 21_(Kyodo) _ Novartis Pharma K.K. is considering making its psychotropic drug Ritalin unavailable for prescription to people with depression, concerned that the drug, which has effects similar to amphetamine, is being increasingly abused, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.

The Japanese unit of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG has been in talks with relevant academic groups and is expected to request the health ministry to delist the drug, generically known as methylphenidate hydrochloride, as an agent for treating depression, the sources said.

An official at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said that if a request is made, the ministry will make a judgment after hearing the views of experts.

Despite Novartis Pharma’s calls on medical institutions to be prudent in prescribing the drug, it has been prescribed rampantly and abused, the sources said.

The company also has taken into account that other effective drugs have been put on the market for treatment of depression.

On Tuesday, the Tokyo metropolitan government conducted an on-site inspection of a Tokyo clinic under the medical law for inappropriately prescribing Ritalin to its patients.