Conference Highlights Need For Better Formulations For Children, UK

Main Category: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Article Date: 29 Apr 2005 - 14:00 PDT

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A conference hosted by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's Industrial Pharmacists' Group in association with the Neonatal & Paediatric Pharmacists' Group on Monday 25 April looked at the issues surrounding supply of medicines to children.

The conference highlighted the need for age appropriate formulations to be made available for children and for the false assumption that 'children can't swallow tablets' to be addressed. The meeting also heard that a wide range of 'special formulations' have been developed to meet the needs of children. These are either extemporaneously dispensed by pharmacists or manufactured as specials by the NHS or pharmaceutical companies.

Tony Nunn, Clinical Director of Pharmacy, Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust, who chaired the meeting said: "While it is essential to have 'specials' available for children there is also a need to rationalise and standardise the range."

Ann Lewis, the Society's Secretary and Registrar, outlined the professional responsibilities that pharmacists had when dispensing and supplying extemporaneous preparations and stated that these were covered in their code of ethics.

The meeting also recognised the importance of sharing information between the pharmaceutical industry and the NHS. Dr Julie Williams, Head of regulatory CMC, Pfizer, stated that the sharing of information needed to be two way as the NHS had a lot of information that would be useful to the pharmaceutical industry such as what size of tablet a child is able to swallow.

Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7JN
Tel: 020 7572 2335
Fax: 020 7572 2503
rpsgb.org.uk/pdfs/pr050427.pdf

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