 7/10 Very Good --- blog.wired.com http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/atom.xml
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Wednesday, May 07, 2008 --- 245 days ago http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/05/adult-adhd-pill.html
Today's announcement by Abbott Laboratories , that their experimental adult attention deficit disorder drug has reached a major milestone, is proof that the pharmaceutical industry can invent diseases as effectively as the folks at Hallmark market holidays.
Clearly, this is great news for the Robert Downey Juniors of the world, as they will no longer need to do lines of Colombian nose candy to stay focused on their acting, but the treatment may not offer many benefits for the rest of society -- at least in comparison to medications which treat real diseases.
The experimental drug, ABT-089, binds to and lightly stimulates nicotine receptors -- the same neurological button that is pushed by Pfizer's anti-smoking drug Chantix -- which happens to cause trippy dreams, may cure depression, and has been the subject of two FDA warnings. To Abbott's credit, their new molecule does not seem to cause sleep, appetite, heart rate, or blood pressure problems.
In my opinion, selling chemicals which affect the brain, but do not treat a major human malady, is a legitimized form of recreational drug dealing. But from a capitalistic point of view, it is a brilliant idea: A drug which strikes α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors is sure to have more off-label uses than duct tape, which means it could be a really big seller for the pharmaceutical giant.
What do you think this new molecule will be used for if it gets approved?
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Anytime
