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Trends in ASD Pharmacological Research: An Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov

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Abstract

Despite decades of research, both understanding and availability of pharmacological interventions for autistic people are limited. We examined characteristics of pharmacological trials on ClinicalTrials.gov (N = 235) to elucidate trends, identify gaps, and suggest future research directions. We observed that trials predominantly sampled school-aged children and adolescents and focused largely on core autism symptoms, neglecting younger children and adults as well as associated symptom domains often identified by stakeholders as treatment priorities. A variety of intervention agents were trialed, with nearly 60% appearing in just one study. Notably, in line with previous research, there was little consistency in outcome measures used, with the majority (58.9%) used in only one trial. Innovation in research strategies is urgently needed; potential directions for such changes are discussed.

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Notes

  1. We used identity-first rather than person-first language to refer to autistic individuals in this paper, as this is the preferred terminology of many autistic individuals and their families (Kenny et al., 2016; Organization for Autism Research, 2020). We understand that there are many ways to refer to autism and acknowledge that these preferences may not be universal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, One Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Paige E. Cervantes, Greta R. Conlon, Rebecca A. Shalev & F. Xavier Castellanos

  2. Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA

    F. Xavier Castellanos

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  1. Paige E. Cervantes
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  2. Greta R. Conlon
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Unrelated to this work, Dr. Castellanos is a member of the scientific advisory board for BOL Pharma. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Cervantes, P.E., Conlon, G.R., Shalev, R.A. et al. Trends in ASD Pharmacological Research: An Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov. Rev J Autism Dev Disord 10, 367–382 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-021-00297-0

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