Children And Medication

2023 Author: Wallace Forman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-07-31 01:47

Children and medication

If it is necessary to give your child medication, your doctor will explain to you in detail. There are special rules when administering medication to children, as medication is not equally well tolerated at all ages. For example, the body of a newborn cannot be compared to that of an older child. Therefore, talking to your doctor is particularly important and should be carried out in detail.

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Make sure to administer the medication exactly as prescribed by the doctor and to inform other caregivers of this as well. Otherwise, the same drug may be inadvertently administered twice. Medicines should definitely be kept safe from children at home!

More on the topic: poisoning in children: drugs

You can find information on the obligation to provide information to a doctor and your rights at: The medical consultation.

The EU regulation for pediatric medicines has been in force since January 2007(Pediatric Regulation). With this regulation, the European Union reacted to a subject that is repeatedly confronted: Children receive drugs, the effects of which have been tested on adults, but not always also on children. Also because medical studies with children reveal ethical problems. In addition, not all drugs given to children are approved for use on children. This so-called “off-label use” is common and, in the absence of adequate alternatives, also necessary. This is why it is very common in paediatrics that the doctor recommends drugs or dosages that are formulated differently in the package insert.

The aim of the EU regulation is to improve the health of children without exposing them to unnecessary studies. According to the Pediatric Regulation, research, development and approval of medicinal products for children should be intensified. Children and young people up to the age of 18 are included in the regulation.

If manufacturers now want to bring drugs onto the market, they must take into account the use in children, that is, the effect of the respective drug in children and adolescents must be proven and approved specifically for this patient group. This also applies to changes that affect the area of application, the composition or the dosage form (tablets, suppositories, etc.). Manufacturers are also required to submit a test plan, which the Pediatric Committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) must approve.

A report by the European Commission from 2017 - ten years after the introduction of the EU regulation - speaks of considerable progress and a number of positive developments that would not have been possible without the regulation. Newly approved drugs for children that meet the requirements of the regulation have led to significantly improved treatment options in some therapeutic areas (including rheumatology, infectious diseases), according to the report. However, the research work must also be driven forward in the future and further political strategies developed.

You can find more information on medication here.