Pediatric Drug Research: Substantial Increase in Studies of Drugs for Children, But Some Challenges Remain

Children fall ill with many of the same diseases as adults and are often treated with the same drugs. However, only about 25 percent of drugs used today have been labeled for pediatric patients. The lack of pediatric testing and labeling can place children at risk of under- or overdosing, and the lack of age-appropriate formulations, such as liquids or chewable tablets, can result in improper administration of drugs. The pediatric exclusivity provision of the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 has successfully encouraged drug sponsors to generate needed information on how drugs work in children. A wide range of drugs are being studied in many therapeutic areas. The infrastructure for conducting pediatric trials has also been greatly strengthened, which should help to support continued progress. Although several drug labels have been changed to incorporate findings from research done under the pediatric exclusivity provision, label changes typically occur long after the Food and Drug Administration has granted the extension of market exclusivity. In addition, there continues to be little incentive to conduct pediatric research on off-patent drugs.