On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 01:17:36 GMT, "Roger Schlafly"
<
[email protected]> wrote:
>"Joe Parsons" <[email protected]> wrote
>> >>Say, Bob--have you found that DEA paper I told you about? The one that
>shows
>> >>how they decided to place methylphenidate on Schedule II?
>> >why not scan the summary and share the information?
>> No, Bob. I think that information is important enough that you should get
>the
>> whole thing and read it yourself. Here's how to get it: go the the
>website for
>> for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (hint: DEA is an agency of the U.S.
>> Department of Justice). Get a contact phone number and address for them.
>Call
>> or write to DEA's Public Information Officer and request the document.
>
>If it is so important, why don't you put it on your web site? He is
>unlikely to go on some wild goose chase just to find some rationale
>for a routine bureaucratic decision. Ritalin is similar to cocaine, and
>cocaine is Schedule II, so why shouldn't ritalin be Schedule II?
Ciba-Geigy/CHADD seem to have wished to have it reclassified
Is this still the case?
DEA Warns of Ritalin® Abuse;
http://www.ndsn.org/march96/prescrp.html
Drug Manufacturer's Contributions to Advocacy Group Investigated
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
March 1996
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning that teenagers
are abusing Ritalin®, a drug used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder
(ADD) in children (Laura Sessions Stepp, "A Wonder Drug's Worst Side
Effect," Washington Post, February 5,1996, p. A1; Laura Sessions
Stepp, "Ritalin: 'In the Wrong Hands, A Dangerous Medication,'"
Washington Post, February 5, 1996, p. C5).
Washington Post reports say students obtain pills for $1 to $5 per
pill from other teens who have prescriptions for the drug. They then
ingest the pills or crush them into a powder that they snort. Called
"Vitamin R," "R-ball," or "the smart drug," use of the drug by
children and teenagers without ADD causes short, intense periods of
high energy. In large doses, Ritalin® can cause seizures, psychosis,
or stroke. The DEA attributed several deaths to abuse of the drug.
"We have always had some problems with [methylphenidate] abuse and
traffic. But it has never been pervasive because there never was much
available. ... That situation [has begun] to change radically," said
Gene Haislip, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration's drug
diversion unit.
Ritalin®, the brand name of the drug methylphenidate, is prescribed to
about 2.4 million children diagnosed with attention deficit disorders
to help them concentrate. The drug is manufactured by the Ciba-Geigy
Corporation.
According to the University of Michigan Monitoring the Future survey,
non-prescription use of methylphenidate doubled among high school
seniors between 1993 and 1994. The DEA said there were 1,171 emergency
room admissions attributed to use of methylphenidate in 1994, a slight
increase from 1993.
Todd Forte, a spokesperson for Ciba-Geigy, said news accounts have
overstated the problem. "The reports ... appearing in the media [are]
isolated events. The abuse speaks more to society's problems than to
the medication."
News about abuse of Ritalin® comes at a time when the relationship
between Ciba-Geigy and an advocacy group for people with ADD is under
investigation (Karen Thomas, "Ritalin® Maker's Ties to Advocates
Probed," USA Today, November 16, 1995, p. 14D).
The United Nations and DEA say Ciba-Geigy has contributed almost $1
million to Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD)
between 1991 and 1994, possibly compromising CHADD's ability to help
those with ADD. In a document resulting from the year-long probe into
CHADD's finances, DEA warned that the contributions are "not
well-known by the public, including CHADD members that have relied
upon CHADD for guidance."
"A lot of people don't know Ritalin® is like cocaine," DEA diversion
control head Gene Haislip said. "That doesn't mean don't use it. ...
It can be very dangerous and must be treated with respect. Obviously,
it was not under surveillance." He called the relationship between
Ciba-Geigy and CHADD an "unhealthy co-mingling of medical and
commercial interests."
Both Ciba-Geigy and CHADD argue there is nothing wrong or unusual
about the contributions. "We see it as an ethical responsibility to
give back to the community," said Todd Forte, a spokesperson for
Ciba-Geigy.
CHADD says it does not promote use of Ritalin®, but does mention it in
the context of treatment options for those with ADD. "In our
literature, you will not find that CHADD markets methylphenidate or
Ritalin® other than in the context of overall treatment programs for
children with ADD," said Harvey Parker, one of the founders of the
organization.
CHADD has petitioned DEA to reschedule Ritalin® from schedule II to
schedule III in order to make it less expensive and more available.
Parker said that when that petition was filed, CHADD had not been
aware of abuse of Ritalin®. Recently, CHADD established a project to
examine the problem of abuse by children and adults. DEA sent their
report about Ciba-Geigy's contributions to CHADD to the Department of
Health and Human Services and is waiting for a response before
reclassification decisions are made
>
