Abbott Says Withdrawing Attention Deficit Drug

Abbott Laboratories Inc. said Thursday it was halting sales of a 30-year-old attention deficit drug that a consumer group complained was too dangerous to stay on the market. Abbott decided to discontinue the drug, Cylert, because of declining sales, Abbott spokeswoman Melissa Brotz said. The drug's sales this year will be less than $1 million, she said. Brotz declined to comment on charges made earlier Thursday from consumer group Public Citizen that the drug had caused 21 cases of liver failure, including 13 that were fatal or required transplants. "We're in the process of discontinuing it ... but that's because of declining usage and sales and because there are generics available," Brotz said. Generic companies sell copycat versions of the drug under the name pemoline. Public Citizen asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to ban Cylert and its generic competitors immediately. Generic companies can still sell their versions even after Abbott pulls the medicine, unless the FDA determines the drug was withdrawn for safety reasons.