Efficacy of EPA Enriched Phosphatidylserine-Omega-3 (Vayarin) on Children with ADHD (P7.336)

OBJECTIVE: To determine if Vayarin is a plausible treatment for long-term ADHD management. BACKGROUND: The FDA approved medical food, Vayarin, is a phosphatidylserine-omega-3 that is EPA enriched and is intended to reduce ADHD symptoms. ADHD patient families are motivated to try non-stimulant medication therapy that might benefit the condition. Vayarin retails for $60 per month and lacks insurance coverage. Most families front the cost of treatment. DESIGN/METHODS: Texas Child Neurology's electronic health records (EHR) retrospectively identified 722 unique patients diagnosed with ADHD who had been prescribed Vayarin therapy for a potential of at least 3 months. Successful therapy was defined as continued treatment beyond 3 months and patient data was stratified into result groups based upon this premise. Information from chart review and telephone interview of parents garnered reasons for results of treatment. Quantification of therapy effect was based upon gathered information. RESULTS: Of the 722 unique patients, 300 patients met criteria for 3 months therapy. Co-treatment with stimulant medication occurred in 43.3%. Two-hundred forty-five (81.7%) continued Vayarin therapy beyond 3 months. Of these, 31.3% were definite beneficiaries of Vayarin. Another 29.7% reported some benefit. The remaining 20.7% reported no benefit but continued Vayarin regardless. A significant portion of the patient sample failed to use Vayarin for the required 3 months. Two-hundred and seven of the sample (28.7%) were lost to follow-up. Another 12.9% never filled the prescription. One-hundred twenty-two (16.9%) of the sample have incomplete information. Many of these are known to have quit Vayarin therapy prior to 3 months treatment (40.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Vayarin is a novel therapy for ADHD that appears to be effective. Approximately 60% of the users who completed 3 months therapy reported benefit of treatment. A slow response time of 3 months is an impediment to successful management as only 41.6% of subjects prescribed Vayarin remained compliant for the duration. Cost and patient objection to Vayarin taste are prominent reasons for therapy failure.