Hoppu Kalle
Poison Information Centre, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2008 Feb;64(2):201-5. doi: 10.1007/s00228-007-0390-5. Epub 2007 Oct 31.
The lack of availability of medicines for children is a large problem. This problem is global. It concerns all children of the world, those in the developing world but also those in the developed world, even in the richest countries. Many generations of paediatricians and other physicians have learned to live with the situation, where more than half of the children are prescribed off-label or unlicensed medicines. However, there is no doubt that medicinal products used to treat the paediatric population should be subjected to ethical research of high quality and be appropriately authorised for use in the paediatric population. Within the last 10 years, the pioneering paediatric initiative in the United States and recent encouraging developments in Europe and at the WHO indicate that change may finally be possible. The developments of the last 2 years have been particularly intensive. It seems that a new era is beginning which will provide unprecedented opportunities but also great challenges for paediatric clinical pharmacologists and other stakeholders working to provide children with the medicines they need.
儿童用药供应不足是个大问题。这个问题是全球性的。它关乎全世界所有儿童，包括发展中世界的儿童，也包括发达世界的儿童，甚至是最富裕国家的儿童。几代儿科医生和其他医生都已学会在这种情况下工作，即超过半数的儿童被开具未按说明书用药或未获许可的药物。然而，毫无疑问，用于治疗儿童群体的医药产品应接受高质量的伦理研究，并应获得适当授权以用于儿童群体。在过去10年里，美国开创性的儿科倡议以及欧洲和世界卫生组织最近令人鼓舞的进展表明，变革最终或许是可能的。过去两年的发展尤为密集。似乎一个新时代即将开启，这将为致力于为儿童提供所需药物的儿科临床药理学家和其他利益相关者带来前所未有的机遇，但也带来巨大挑战。
