ABVC BioPharma Emphasizes Safety of Plant-Based ADHD Candidate Amid Polypharmacy Concerns

ABVC BioPharma has addressed growing public concerns about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatment in the United States, emphasizing the safety-focused approach of its plant-based drug candidate ABV-1505. Recent media reports have highlighted increasing worries about psychiatric "polypharmacy," where individuals who begin ADHD medication at a young age often receive multiple additional psychiatric drug prescriptions over their lifetime.

The Wall Street Journal has documented this trend through anecdotal accounts, underscoring public awareness of potential long-term medication burdens associated with conventional stimulant therapies. A recent national conversation, including analyses published by major U.S. media outlets, has drawn attention to research suggesting children and adolescents starting with ADHD medications are more likely than the general population to later receive additional psychiatric drug prescriptions. This raises important questions about long-term treatment strategies and the need for alternative approaches that minimize downstream medication burden.

ABVC's ADHD program centers on ABV-1505, a botanical extract derived from Polygala tenuifolia that differs significantly from traditional treatments. Unlike conventional stimulant or amphetamine-based therapies, ABV-1505 is plant-based, non-stimulant, and has not shown evidence of causing addiction or dependency in clinical studies. The company reports no drug-related serious adverse events in its clinical studies to date, and the candidate is designed to potentially reduce the likelihood of escalating to multi-drug psychiatric regimens.

The drug candidate has completed a Phase II clinical trial at the University of California, San Francisco, which showed statistically significant improvement on ADHD rating scales compared with placebo. The treatment was well tolerated with no serious safety concerns observed, according to the company's announcement. ABVC is preparing the next phase of clinical development in collaboration with global partners.

"Growing concerns about long-term psychiatric medication burden highlight the need for safer, non-stimulant, and non-habit-forming ADHD treatment options," said Dr. Uttam Patil, ABVC's Chief Executive Officer. "Our plant-based candidate ABV-1505 is being developed precisely with this purpose, to explore whether an effective treatment can also offer a cleaner and safer tolerability profile." Patil noted that many families seek therapies that can help manage ADHD symptoms without increasing the risk of additional psychiatric medications later in life.

The company's announcement comes amid broader discussions about ADHD treatment approaches documented in media reports such as The Wall Street Journal's coverage of polypharmacy concerns and analyses of treatment patterns. This development matters because it represents a potential shift toward addressing both efficacy and long-term safety in ADHD treatment, particularly important for pediatric populations who may face decades of medication management. The implications extend to healthcare providers seeking alternatives to conventional stimulants and families concerned about the cumulative effects of psychiatric medications over a lifetime.