UK promotes children-specific drug research
In a move welcomed by doctors and medical experts, the UK health minister, Lord Warner, has announced a new initiative to encourage the development of medicines designed specifically for children. The new paediatric medicines strategy, launched on 18 August, is aimed at encouraging pharmaceutical companies to research and develop medicines better adapted to the needs of children. The strategy will also make sure prescribers have better information about the impact of medicines on children. 'Most medicines,' explains the UK's Department of Health, 'are designed for and tested on adults but are widely prescribed for children. The evidence shows that children and adults respond very differently to medicines and that a treatment which is effective in adults may not be as suitable for children.' '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,' said Lord Warner. The UK government wants to improve information to parents and children, and is seeking to encourage companies to develop alternative formulations, such as liquid medicines instead of tablets. Manufacturers will be offered incentives to develop drugs, such as the waiver of fees to regulatory watchdogs and free expert advice. Key areas include asthma drugs, anti-depressants and painkillers. The Department of Health will also use part of the 100 million GBP (148 million euro) provided in the budget for research and development in the National Health Service (NHS) to fund a British national formulary (BNF) for children's medication, to match the standard doctors' prescribing handbook for adult medicines. 'The use of medicines in children is particularly complex. Because many medicines are not licensed for use in children, healthcare professionals currently have to rely on a variety of non-standard resources. Selecting the right medicine and calculating the right dose for a child can be particularly problematic and can make treatment more difficult,' explained Ian Costello, the editor of the BNF for Children. '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,' added Lord Warner. Most drug research is carried out on adults because it is ethically easier to obtain consent from them. Indeed, parents are generally uneasy about the idea of having drug trials conducted on their children, At present, around 40 per cent of medicines prescribed to children have never actually been tested on children. For newborn babies, the figure is 65 per cent. Furthermore, companies tend to have reservations about the commercial value of targeting the children's drug market. However, the recent successes of some treatment trials for childhood cancers and other potentially fatal diseases is helping to change the mood. 'These plans have the potential to make a real difference for children, parents and prescribers by making sure that existing and new medicines are tailored to the needs of children. Children have the right to the same standards for medicines as adults and this strategy is another step towards achieving this,' said Professor Rosalind Smyth, Chair of the Committee on Safety of Medicines' Paediatric Working Group. 'The great majority of drugs prescribed for children by GPs do not pose a problem. But increased consideration of child dosages by drug companies will certainly be helpful when dealing with rarer and more complex medicines,' said Professor David Haslam, chairman and child health spokesman of the Royal College of General Practitioners. At EU level, rules are being drawn up to encourage more drug companies to make medicines specifically for children. However, they are unlikely to be introduced for at least another two years and the UK government would like to lead the way in pushing for changes in this area, said the UK health minister.
Countries
United Kingdom