Taking a page from Sanofi, Shire is preparing to launch a developer challenge “to create technology driven solutions that aid individuals with ADHD during the transition from adolescence into adulthood.”

The company’s two-stage Shire ADHD Transitions Challenge will shower $150,000 in awards on eight teams of developers. The overall winner will take home $100,000 and score two tickets to the Fall 2013 Health 2.0 conference, where their win will be announced.

Judges will be looking for tools that help ADHD patients manage transitions – such as those from high school to the less-structured environment of college life, or from college to the workforce – as well as addressing everyday organizational and life management challenges and encouraging medication adherence. For the first phase of the challenge (submissions are due by March 17), teams will submit a five-page plan. In the second phase, five finalist teams will execute on their plans.  

A 2007 survey suggests that almost 10% of US children and 4.4% of adults are affected by ADHD, for which Shire markets Adderall XR, Intuniv and Vyvanse.

Shire’s contest is reminiscent of Sanofi’s Data Design Diabetes and Collaborate | Activate challenges, for technology to help diabetes patients and patient advocacy groups, respectively.