Old Wine, New Bottles, Same Problems?

The FDA yesterday approved the first ADHD drug for children to be delivered in patch form. The drug is called Daytrana and is a chemical cousin of Ritalin. Like that drug, it will come with a host of warnings. What puzzles me is that this med was initially denied approval by the FDA and then an agency panel reversed the denial. It also only underwent two small, short-lived clinical trials. That's a fairly clear sign that given its close kinship to Ritalin the only thing novel about Daytrana is its delivery mode. I recognize that FDA approval regulations are goofy and that America is taking an any-port-in-a-storm approach to psych meds, but when is our drug approval system going to ask the basic question, "Do we need another way to give kids Ritalin? Don't we already have enough problems with that drug? Why would this one be better because it's delivered by a patch?" Can we get some skepticism going in high places in this country?

It'll be interesting to see what patient experiences are like with this drug. I ain't holding my breath.