Parliament makes case for safer medicines for children
The European Parliament's Environment Committee has called for more information to be gathered on medical products for children through clinical trials, to be carried out under strict conditions. The committee therefore adopted an amendment on 21 November saying that clinical trials on children should be allowed, subject to certain restrictions. The call came in response to the Council's common position on the use of sound clinical practice in trials of medical products for human use. German MEP Peter Liese, who was the rapporteur, recognised that there is a need for clinical studies involving children if the quality of treatment available to them is to be improved. But he made a point of stressing that this section of the population should not be used as guinea pigs. Mr Liese, a doctor himself, noted that the lack of clinical tests on children means that they may be treated with inadequately tested medicines. The conditions laid down for trials include the need for informed consent of the child's parents or legal representative, for the child to be properly informed about the issues in line with his/her ability to understand them and for clinical trials to be designed to minimise pain, discomfort and fear.