| Definition | Vayarin is a prescription medical food for the clinical dietary management of certain lipid imbalances blamed to be associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Vayarin contains _Lipirinen_, a proprietary composition containing phosphatidylserine-omega 3, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) [L1500, L1510]. Vayarin is currently available only by prescription in the USA [L1502]. This drug has also been used for management of hypertriglyceridemia [L1503].
Vayarin is an orally administered prescription medical food for the clinical dietary management of complex lipid imbalances thought to be associated with ADHD. Vayarin is a specially formulated and designed to address the distinct, previously determined lipid nutritional requirements of children with ADHD, the dietary management of which cannot be achieved with lifestyle modification [L1502].
Vayarin is a novel therapy for ADHD that appears to be effective in several studies [L1501, L1502, L1503]. Approximately 60% of the users who completed 12 weeks of therapy reported subjective benefits from treatment. A slow response time of 12 weeks is an impediment to successful management of ADHD as only 41.6% of subjects prescribed Vayarin remained compliant for the duration of the study. Cost of the drug and patient aversion to the taste of Vayarin were significant reasons for therapy failure [L1502]. |
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