New Analysis in Boys and Girls Shows the ADHD Patch, DAYTRANA(TM) (methylphenidate transdermal system), Offered ADHD Symptom Control for...( WASHINGTON May 7 /- Shire plc (LS...),Health

WASHINGTON, May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Shire plc (LSE: SHP, Nasdaq: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced findings from a new data analysis that was conducted to examine treatment differences with DAYTRANA(TM) (methylphenidate transdermal system) between boys and girls aged 6 to 12 years with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The findings from the analysis reaffirmed that DAYTRANA has an established safety profile and effectively controlled ADHD symptoms in both boys and girls for the duration of the study. Results from this analysis were presented today at a national scientific medical meeting in Washington, D.C.

"This analysis further demonstrates that DAYTRANA has a recognized safety profile and is an effective treatment for ADHD symptoms in both boys and girls with the disorder," said Robert Findling, M.D., investigator of the analysis and Director of the Division of Adolescent and Child Psychiatry at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Professor of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University. "The findings are significant because only a relatively modest amount of work has been done to examine the effects of ADHD treatments by gender. This is an important consideration for parents because not only do they need to recognize that ADHD symptoms present differently in girls than in boys, but also because it is important to understand the role of treatment for both sexes."

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a national survey conducted in 2003 showed that 11 percent of boys have been diagnosed with ADHD, in contrast to 4.4 percent of girls. Additional studies suggest the prevalence of ADHD in girls is critically underestimated and that many school-aged girls with the disorder are undiagnosed and under treated. This may be due to the fact that girls tend to show less disruptive ADHD symptoms such as inattention (e.g., inability to focus, organize
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