Test of Drug for Autistic Children Is Inconclusive

Parents whose autistic children received three doses of the highly touted drug secretin in a new clinical trial reported an improvement in symptoms, but that improvement could not be verified by a psychologist who rated the children, researchers for the drug’s manufacturer reported in a press conference Wednesday. Although neither parents nor researchers knew which children received the drug, made by Repligen Corp., parents reported that 12 of 66 who received secretin were very much improved, compared with only three of 60 who received a placebo.

Overall, 44 patients were reported by the parents as very much or much improved: 28 in the secretin group and 16 in the placebo group. But a psychologist who rated the children before and after the eight-week testing period found no significant differences between the two groups.

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II