Text Box: ADHD Studies estimate that between 5-7% of children ages 6-12 develop ADHD.  In addition, new adult and European indications represent the potential for a larger market.  Though patient population is fairly large, treatment options are still limited.  The current market leaders, Adderall XR® (Shire Pharmaceuticals PLC), Concerta® (Johnson & Johnson) and Strattera® (Lilly and Co.), have combined total sales of over two billion dollars per year and an annual growth rate of more than 10% over the last 5 years.  Although these medications have done extremely well financially, they have serious safety concerns.  Both Adderall XR and Concerta are powerful central nervous system stimulants and both are Schedule II controlled substances.  Both drugs have numerous serious side effects and carry strong warnings on their respective labels.  Strattera, on the other hand, has demonstrated liver toxicity and tends to be less effective in most individuals than the stimulant treatments.  Additionally, New River Pharmaceuticals’® (now Shire’s) drug, Vyvanse®, was intended to have a lower potential for drug abuse, but after approval, this was clearly not the case. Cancer Traditionally, cancer therapies have included the use of highly toxic chemotherapeutic agents that cause serious dose limiting and therapy terminating complications.  Throughout the years, the development of antibody and “targeted” treatment options for cancer have greatly improved these side effects.  However, many chemotherapeutic regimes still involve the use of older, more toxic anti-cancer drugs as they remain the most effective treatment options.  Both Gemzar® (gemcitabine) and the platins (cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin) enjoy widespread use in a number of cancer chemotherapies including prostate, breast, colon and lung cancers.  Even with the toxicity issues, the broad application of these older drugs has led to a worldwide market of over $6 billion annually. 

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