Study of Droxidopa Treatment in Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder With Co-administration of Carbidopa

Study Summary

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder characterized by lifelong issues of inattention, distraction, organizational difficulties, forgetfulness, restlessness, talking out of turn, difficulty waiting and interrupting others. ADHD is the second most common neuropsychiatric disorder affecting 4.4% of the United States (US) adult population, or between 8-9 million individuals. Droxidopa (L-dihydroxyphenylserine (L-DOPS)) is a synthetic catecholamine which is converted to norepinephrine (NE) via decarboxylation, resulting in increased levels of NE centrally in the central nervous system (CNS) and peripherally. Co-treatment with carboxylase inhibitors, such as carbidopa, given with droxidopa, can increase the CNS levels of NE with greater crossing of the blood-brain barrier. Droxidopa has received orphan drug approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension in individuals with primary autonomic failure. The half-life of droxidopa is approximately 2-3 hours, resulting in administration three times daily.

Primary Outcome

The AISRS is an 18-item validated investigator-administered instrument for the assessment of ADHD symptoms with an inattentive subscale (9 items) and a hyperactive-impulsive subscale (9 items). The severity of each of the items was rated on a 4-point scale (0-none, 1-mild, 2-moderate, 3-severe). The total score was the sum of the inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive subscales and ranged from 0 (none) to 54 (most severe). A higher score corresponded to a worse severity of ADHD.

Conditions Studied

Interventions

• DRUG Droxidopa+Carbidopa

Study Locations (1)