Ritalin may damage DNA and cause cancer

Health Canada, the drug regulatory agency in the country, recalled Adderall on concerns that it may have caused death in children. Contrary to Health Canada's interpretation of the data, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), which typically favors drug companies rather than worry about the health and lives of Americans, not only decided to leave the Adderall on the market, it actually tried to stop Health Canada from suspending sales in Canada, according to Senator Charles Grassley.

Bloomberg is reporting that Ritalin, another drug in the same class as Adderall, may cause damage to DNA that can raise cancer risk in children. While the study is small and preliminary, it does raise concerns about prescribing Ritalin to children. Ritalin is the most widely prescribed drug for treating attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Six million to 10 million Americans, many of them children, take it. Ritalin is made by Novartis. Other drug in the same category, apart from Adderall XR, is Concerta by Johnson & Johnson.

The team of researchers was led by Randa El-Zein of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Related article: Maker of Adderall XR expects that Health Canada will reverse its decision