OBJECTIVES : Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a neurodevelopmental disorder, affects approximately 5% of children and 4% of adults in Canada. Psychostimulant drugs are used to improve symptoms that cause impairment in ADHD patients. Seven psychostimulant medications are approved in Canada, which include amphetamines (dextroamphetamine sulfate, mixed salts amphetamine, lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) and methylphenidate-based products. The objective of this study was to evaluate the Canadian market for psychostimulant therapies for ADHD over the past five years.

METHODS : Data on retail prescriptions and drugstore and hospital purchases of psychostimulants for ADHD in Canada were obtained from IQVIA. Numbers of prescriptions and purchases (in $Can) were collected for 12-month periods ending November for the past five years (2015-2019).

RESULTS : The Canadian market for psychostimulants for ADHD has grown steadily since 2015, with prescriptions increasing by 53% (from 4.4 million in 2015 to 6.7 million in 2019) and total drugstore and hospital purchases increasing by 56% (from $330 million in 2015 to $515 million in 2019). Methylphenidates led the market in terms of prescriptions over the past five years (60%), while capturing 50% of purchases. Generic forms of psychostimulants accounted for 18.5% of prescriptions and 4.8% of purchases in the 12 months ending November 2019, up from 14.5% and 4.3%, respectively, in the 12 months ending November 2015. The contribution of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate has grown markedly over the past five years, with prescriptions increasing 90% and sales doubling from 2015 to 2019. In contrast, purchases of mixed salts amphetamine declined by 20% despite a 17% increase in prescriptions.

CONCLUSIONS : Psychostimulants accounted for 90% of ADHD drug purchases in 2019, representing a market of $515 million dollars in Canada that has grown steadily since 2015.