This website is intended for UK healthcare professionals.
The Adverse Event Reporting and a link to the Prescribing Information can be found at the bottom of the page.

Takeda ADHD portfolio
for children and young people.

Help them be who they want to be

Takeda is committed to helping healthcare professionals optimise treatment for every individual with ADHD. The Takeda portfolio of ADHD therapies offers different modes of action, durations and dose options, allowing you to tailor treatment to your patients’ needs.1-3

Elvanse® is indicated for ADHD as part of a comprehensive treatment program for children (6 years and over) when response to methylphenidate is considered clinically inadequate and in adults with pre-existing childhood ADHD symptoms.1

Treatment must be supervised by a specialist in behavioural disorders appropriate to the patient’s age.1

Elvanse® is not indicated for all ADHD patients and the decision to use the medicinal product must consider the patient profile, including symptom severity, chronicity, potential for abuse, misuse or diversion, and clinical response to previous pharmacotherapies for ADHD.1

Intuniv® (guanfacine) prolonged-release tablets is indicated for the treatment of ADHD in children and adolescents 6-17 years old for whom stimulants are not suitable, not tolerated or have been shown to be ineffective.2

Treatment must be initiated under the supervision of an appropriate specialist in childhood and/or adolescent behavioural disorders.2

Equasym® XL (methylphenidate hydrochloride modified release capsules) is indicated as part of a comprehensive treatment programme for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children aged 6 years of age and over when remedial measures alone prove insufficient.3

Treatment must be under the supervision of a specialist in childhood behavioural disorders.3

Lack of ADHD symptom control
could have consequences for everyday life4-11

Across the literature, children and young people with ADHD are more likely to experience negative life-events vs. their non-ADHD peers:

Hover over tiles below to view reference details a to n

Education

5.8X
more likely to be excluded from school4a
2.7X
more likely to feel frustrated5b
3.4X
more likely to achieve lower academic attainment4c
  1. 4.0–19.0 years; n=7,413, IRR=5.79, 95% CI: 5.45–6.164
  2. 6.0–19.0 years; 68%, n=535 vs. 25%, n=4245
  3. 4.0–19.0 years; n=7,413, adjusted OR=3.35, 95% CI: 3.0–3.754

Social

3.7X
more likely to be rejected by their peers6d
1.8X
more likely to have no close friends6e
  1. 7.0–9.9 years; 52% ADHD, n=165 vs. 14% non-ADHD, n=1,2986
  2. 7.0–9.9 years; 56% ADHD, n=165 vs. 32% non-ADHD, n=1,2986

Harm/injury

5.5X
more likely to be involved in fights5f
1.8X
more likely to sustain an injury7g
  1. 13.0–19.0 years; 22% ADHD vs. 4% non-ADHD5
  2. n=4,5577

Personal jeopardy

2.0X
more likely to experience suicidal ideation8h
2.2X
more likely to self-harm8i
3.2X
more likely to have a substance use disorder9j
  1. 16-18 years; 57% ADHD, n=104 vs. 28% non-ADHD, n=1698
  2. 16-18 years; 69% ADHD, n=104 vs. 32% non-ADHD, n=1698
  3. Mean age 15 years; 9.93% ADHD, n=443 vs. 3.14% non-ADHD, n=2239

Teen parenthood

3.6X
more likely in females10k
2.3X
more likely in males10l
  1. 12-16 years; n=7,386, IRR=3.62, 95% CI: 2.14–6.1310
  2. 12-16 years; n=20,093, IRR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.27–4.1710

Driving

35%
less likely to get a driving license11m
36%
higher risk of motor vehicle crash risk11n
  1. At 17.5 years; n=2,479, males: adjusted HR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.61-0.70; females: adjusted HR=0.64, 95% CI: 0.58-0.7011
  2. 17-25 years; adjusted HR=1.36, 95% CI: 1.25-1.4811

CI=confidence interval; HR=hazard ratio; IRR=incidence rate ratio; OR=odds ratio

Watch this video on the challenges faced by children with ADHD

Patients differ in their responses to ADHD treatments12

In a comparative review of children with ADHD (N=174):

“There was a 69% response rate for Amfetamine (AMF) and 57% for Methylphenidate (MPH), with an 87% stimulant response rate if both are tried.”

Pie chart Adapted from Arnold LE. J Attent Disord 2000;3:200-11 showing differing responses to ADHD treatments
Study reviewed Medline and PsycINFO searches from 1984−1996 with the key words methylphenidate and amfetamine; these were supplemented with known prior and recent literature. Data on responders were taken from the 6 clearest crossover studies in humans (N=174).
Data taken from ‘Methylphenidate vs. amphetamine: Comparative review’ (published 2000) therefore prevalence statistics should be taken into consideration.
AMF=amfetamine; MPH=methylphenidate
Adapted from Arnold LE. J Attent Disord 2000;3:200–11

Proud to be helping patients be who they want to be

Medication should be offered for children and young people, only if:13

  • their ADHD symptoms are still causing a persistent significant impairment in at least one domain* after environmental modifications have been implemented and reviewed
  • they and their parents and carers have discussed information about ADHD
  • a baseline assessment has been carried out

*Domains refer to areas of function, for example, interpersonal relationships, education and occupational attainment, and risk awareness.

NICE medication algorithm13

NICE medication algorithm to show 1st line, 2nd line and 3rd line options

†In terms of reduced ADHD symptoms and associated impairment.
‡Having considered alternative preparations and adequate doses.
NICE=National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Options for the stages of
the NICE medication algorithm1-3,13

Elvanse

A 13-hour stimulant that helps control ADHD symptoms during an increasingly busy young life, when response to MPH is considered clinically inadequate1,14

intuniv

A non-stimulant with a different mode of action (vs. other ADHD medications) – selective for post-synaptic α2A-adrenergic receptors, when LDX and MPH cannot be tolerated or are considered clinically inadequate.*2,13,15,16

Equasym XL

A first-line MPH that helps control ADHD symptoms throughout the school day3,13

* Having considered alternative preparations and adequate doses.
AMF=amfetamine; MPH=methylphenidate

Get started, learn more about Elvanse® hereImage

References

  1. Elvanse. Summary of Product Characteristics.
  2. Intuniv. Summary of Product Characteristics.
  3. Equasym XL. Summary of Product Characteristics.
  4. Fleming M et al. JAMA Pediatr 2017; 171(7):e170691.
  5. Young S et al. ADHD: Making the Invisible Visible. Available at: www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/ADHD_MakingTheInvisibleVisible.pdf (accessed September 2026).
  6. Hoza B et al. J Consult Clin Psychol 2005;73:411–23.
  7. Dalsgaard S et al. Lancet Psychiatry 2015;2:702-9.
  8. Hurtig T et al. Nord J Psychiatry 2012;66:320–8
  9. Molina BS et al. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psych 2013;52(3):250–63
  10. Østergaard SD et al. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psych 2017;56(7):578–84;
  11. Curry AE et al. JAMA Pediatr 2017;171(8):756-63
  12. Arnold LE. J Attent Disord 2000;3:200–11
  13. NICE. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management. NG87. Available at: nice.org.uk/guidance/NG87 (accessed September 2026).
  14. Sharman J & Pennick M. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2014; 10: 2275-80.
  15. Alamo C et al. Actas Esp Psiquiatr 2016; 44: 107-12.
  16. Huss M et al. Clin Drug Investig 2016; 36(1):1-25.

Takeda

Elvanse® Prescribing Information

Equasym® XL Prescribing Information

Intuniv® Prescribing Information

For Adverse Event Reporting related to
Elvanse and Equasym XL:

Adverse events should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Reporting forms and information can be found at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. Adverse events should also be reported to Takeda at: AE.GBR‑IRL@takeda.com.

For Adverse Event Reporting related to
Intuniv:

▼This medicinal product is subject to additional monitoring. This will allow quick identification of new safety information. Adverse events should be reported. Reporting forms and information can be found at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
Adverse events should also be reported to Takeda at: AE.GBR‑IRL@takeda.com.

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Contact Us

C-APROM/GB/ELVS/0140 | September 2026