Alternative Forms of Oral Drug Delivery for Pediatrics
The lack of an appropriate dosage form limits the use of many medications that may potentially benefit children. While this has been a long-standing problem for pediatric healthcare providers, little attention has been paid to remedying it until recently. In 2005 the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, joined by representatives from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), academic medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry, formed the United States (US) Pediatric Formulations Initiative in an effort to stimulate research in pediatric formulation technology. Similar work by the European Medication Agency (EMA) led to the development of the European Pediatric Formulation Initiative. In addition, the World Health Organization launched a global initiative in 2007 entitled "Make Medicines Child Size" to foster development of pediatric dosage formulations. These groups continue to guide research in the field of pediatric drug delivery and champion technologic advances.
Introduction
The lack of an appropriate dosage form limits the use of many medications that may potentially benefit children. While this has been a long-standing problem for pediatric healthcare providers, little attention has been paid to remedying it until recently. In 2005 the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, joined by representatives from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), academic medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry, formed the United States (US) Pediatric Formulations Initiative in an effort to stimulate research in pediatric formulation technology. Similar work by the European Medication Agency (EMA) led to the development of the European Pediatric Formulation Initiative. In addition, the World Health Organization launched a global initiative in 2007 entitled "Make Medicines Child Size" to foster development of pediatric dosage formulations. These groups continue to guide research in the field of pediatric drug delivery and champion technologic advances.