Calls for more research on children’s medicines
The Government has launched a new initiative to encourage pharmaceutical companies to carry out more research on the effects of clinical drugs on children.
Although children often respond to medicines differently to adults, many drugs are given to children despite them only being tested on adults.
In recent years there have been particular concerns raised about the effects of antidepressants on children that have only ever been tested on adults.
Many pharmaceutical companies test on adults rather than children because it is easier to gain ethical consent.
New Government plans will see the pharmaceutical companies being “strongly” encouraged to provide better paediatric clinical trial data and provide far better information on the use of medicines on children in patient information leaflets.
For the first time a separate prescription guide covering children will be published for doctors and funding is proposed to promote research into medicines for children, to be coordinated by the UK Clinical Research Collaboration.
Announcing the plans, Health Minister Lord Warner, said: “Until now there hasn’t been enough emphasis on developing medicines specifically for use in children, and the UK has led the way in pushing for change in this area.
“I want the new strategy that I have announced today to give a strong message to pharmaceutical companies to focus on the needs of children when developing new medicines. Health professionals need the latest information so that they can make the right choices about the medicines and treatments for their younger patients, and that is why the new British National Formulary for Children is so important”.
