If children ruled the pharmaceutical industry: the need for pediatric formulations

Abstract

Specific drug therapy has created paradigm changes in the cure and control of many common and important diseases. However, the benefits of specific therapy have not been shared equally, and children have been especially disadvantaged. In addition to many drugs lacking pediatric-specific information on drug safety and efficacy, there is often a lack of child-friendly formulations. Practical challenges include issues of stability and palatability, while other issues include variations in drug metabolism and excretion in different populations of children and policy issues related to the fact that the largest number of children live in the developing world. Innovations in drug formulations offer the potential for addressing the practical issues, while changes in public policy offer the potential for all the world's children to share more equally in the benefits of pharmacotherapy.