New ADHD Medications Discussed at APSARD 2026

It is an exciting time for new treatment approaches for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), particularly those addressing comorbid symptoms and executive dysfunction, Timothy Wilens, MD, told Psychiatric Times during the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) 2026 Annual Conference.

“We have new medication therapies that are being developed,” said Wilens, chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Among the developments drawing attention were data from an ongoing naturalistic trial of viloxazine (Qelbree), an extended-release agent being studied in real-world clinical settings, which he believes will be most useful for the everyday clinician. “They’re treating people openly in real clinics, including comorbid with anxiety, depression,” Wilens said. He added multiple posters at the conference demonstrated improvement in depression and anxiety.

Sleep outcomes also emerged as an unexpected signal. “Something that was a red herring that I don’t think people would have thought about is [data] also show that individuals had improvement in sleep,¹ particularly those people who started with sleep difficulties with that combination with treatment,” he said.

Wilens noted growing clinician interest in agents with broader neurotransmitter activity. “Most people are interested in medicines like viloxazine XR because it has this combined neurotransmitter type of medicine,” he said. “It’s dopamine, norepinephrine, it’s got serotonergic agonistic impact.” Because of this profile, he noted the medication has potential for impacting depression and anxiety, emphasizing that “treating comorbidities in ADHD is an interesting and very concerning issue for clinicians.”

Another agent discussed at the APSARD conference was centanafadine, an investigational, nonstimulant agent not yet approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, Wilens reported. Phase 3 data show that centanafadine,² particularly the higher dose, improved ADHD in children and adolescents, he added.

He noted centanafadine is considered a “triamine reuptake inhibitor,” which appears to distinguish it clinically. “It affects dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin,” Wilens said. Early analyses suggest benefits beyond core ADHD symptoms. “They’re finding statistically and clinically significant improvements in cognitive executive functioning, as well as the dysregulation component of executive functioning.”

Longer-term data are also emerging. “They’re doing a 3-year study in 600 individuals,” Wilens said, noting that early follow-up shows continued efficacy, with effectiveness continued through 1 year. He added that adverse events were tolerable, with a relatively low dropout rate of about 6%“and no new adverse events.

Although approval is still pending, Wilens said, “It’s probably the next one down the line to have in terms of therapeutic options for ADHD.”

For more conference coverage, including additional insights from Tim Wilens, MD, visit: psychiatrictimes.com/conferences/apsard

References

1. Lin M. Viloxazine ER in adults with ADHD and depression and/or anxiety symptoms: impact on sleep. Poster presented at the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) 2026 Annual Conference; January 15-18, 2026; San Diego, CA.

2. Wilens T. Long-term safety and efficacy of centanafadine in children and adolescents with ADHD: results from a phase 3 open-label extension study. Poster presented at the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) 2026 Annual Conference; January 15-18, 2026; San Diego, CA.