WHO steps up campaign for greater access to child-safe medicines

Improving access, availability and affordability to child-safe drugs is being pushed to the front of the World Health Organization's (WHO) agenda with the launch today of its "make medicines child size" campaign.

Launched at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London with the backing of child charity organisations and members of the pharmaceutical industry community, the campaign aims to prioritise the development of child-friendly treatments for some of the world's deadliest diseases and conditions.

Topping the list are pneumonia and other acute lower respiratory infections, which kills a fifth of under-five-years-olds, HIV/AIDS, which infects 1,150 children daily and malaria, which kills a million children a year, as well as diarrhoea and TB.

While it is generally known that children metabolise medicines differently from adults and that this metabolism can be affected by differences in body weight, age and physical condition, little is known about the effects certain medicines have on children. This is partly linked to there being fewer clinical trials conducted on them than in adults. Lack of information on clinical trials, leads to information gaps related to quality and safety and these gaps can deter pharmaceutical companies from research and developing child-friendly medicines and generics companies from producing them at lower cost.

Speaking at the campaign launch, Dr Howard Zucker of WHO, said: "This is not a new crisis, it is a reality we have lived with for many years - there is a double standard in clinical research and drug development: one for adults an, one for children.

WHO has started to redress the imbalance, and place children more squarely in the picture of clinical and pharmaceutical progress."

The organisation's work aims to focus on increasing studies on the development of paediatric medicines, exploring ways of fast-tracking the regulation of quality paediatric formulation and establishing systems to ensure that health facilities have adequate stocks of essential medicines and clinical consumables for children. In addition, will work to improve the infrastructure and equipment used to store liquid paediatric formulations and monitor the use of unlicensed, off-label and unsafe medicines for children will also start.

On the back of this new campaign, the WHO released a 206-strong list of medicines that it deems to be safe treatments for children. The Essential Medicines List, which was developed by the WHO's expert sub-committee, includes anti-AIDS treatment, vaccines, anaesthetics, hormones, vitamins and minerals. The list should serve as a reference for countries to develop national lists according to their specific public health priorities, and it is the beginning of a longer process to ensure that child specific medicine are developed and delivered to the intended patient group.

An estimated $50m over a four to six-year period is expected to be committed to this project from donor organisation, Zucker said.

Reducing child mortality and treating children affected by major diseases are global priorities outlined in the Millennium Development Goals. A pre-condition to achieving these goals is increasing the production and availability of essential medicines for children.