Efficacy of ADHD Drug As a Smoking Cessation Tool: Columbia U & Psychiatric Institute Researchers Launch New Study

New York, NY, June 1, 2006 —Each year an estimated 450,000 Americans lose their lives as a result of smoking. In terms of health-care costs and lost productivity, the expense to the United States is approximately $150 billion each year. The situation is compounded for the 7-8 million adults in the United States who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) where smoking is twice as common as it is in the general population. Smoking cessation treatment is among the most effective approaches for reducing the prevalence of tobacco use and the enormous health and economic consequences of smoking-related diseases.

The most common symptoms of ADHD include being forgetful, easily distracted, impulsive or fidgety. For the people with ADHD who are also smokers, effective treatment of ADHD may be the key to reducing cigarette smoking. Methylphenidate (Concerta), an FDA-approved treatment for ADHD, works through many of the same receptors and transmitters in the brain that are affected when a person smokes. This common biological mechanism provides the rationale for the possibility that the drug will be an effective cessation aid for smokers with ADHD.

The Smoking Cessation Program at Columbia University Medical Center is seeking participants aged 18 to 55 years for a new study targeting smokers with ADHD. The purpose of the study is to see if methylphenidate will be an effective smoking cessation aid for this group. The study, located at the New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University in New York City, is one of six sites funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Participation is conditional upon completion of screening procedures including assessments to determine the presence of ADHD and the level of cigarette use. Qualified participants will be randomized to receive either methylphenidate or an identical-looking placebo. All participants will receive nicotine patch and behavioral counseling. Reimbursement for time and travel will be offered to research participants.

For more information or to participate in the study, call the Smoking Cessation Program at (212) 543-5905, or Dr. Lirio Covey, Principal Investigator at the Columbia University site, at (212) 543-5736.

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