Intuvin: A new ADHD medication
Intuvin is a new medication for ADHD, that is being marketed by Shire. Intuvin is an extended release guanfacine. Guanfacine is an anti-hypertensive agent. Shire is touting the benefits of Intuvin and appears to be placing particular emphasis on the fact that it is a non-stimulant and also is offered in extended release form.* However, there are several important things to keep in mind when considering a new ADHD medication such as Intuvin:
1. Limited data on the benefits of Intuvin
The benefits of Intuvin were established based on only two studies (ref. 1), that lasted 8 and 9 weeks respectively.
These studies compared the benefits of Intuvin to placebo. While Intuvin was found to be far more effective than a placebo in reducing ADHD symptoms there is no evidence that Intuvin is more or less effective than other ADHD medications.
There have been other studies of guanfacine (Tenex) in non-extended release form. Three out of four of these studies showed some improvement in ADHD symptoms. However, three of these studies were on small samples (under 20 subjects) and had no control groups. The one study using a control group found benefits for guanfacine relative to placebo (ref. 2.). However, these studies only support the claim that guanfacine is more effective than placebo.
2. How Intuvin (guanfacine) is supposed to work
As Shire notes on their website it is not certain how Intuvin works. The theoretical model suggests that it should increase receptiveness to Norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortext. Coincidently, this is the same neurotransmitter that Strattera (atomoxetine) is hypothesized to increase (albeit in a different manner (ref. 2).