Children need international formulary to guarantee rational use of drugs
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《英国医生杂志》
EDITOR—The unsatisfactory standing of children with regard to evidence based drug treatment is well documented.1 Information on drug use in children is lacking, and differences in therapeutic approaches are wide, which implies the need for harmonisation.
An example of a concrete effort to fulfil this need is Medicines for Children, a paediatric formulary aimed at helping those who prescribe for children or who dispense for or give drugs to them.2 A formulary's main objective, in fact, is not simply to list drugs and their therapeutic profile but to function as a tool for rationally using drugs. A formulary must be a source of up to date, evidence based information for the most common clinical problems in and out of hospital.
Researchers in Italy have joined in the United Kingdom's efforts of compiling a national formulary by creating an Italian version of the formulary, adapted to the Italian context, entitled Guida all'uso dei farmaci per i bambini , which all Italian doctors, nurses, and pharmacists (about 600 000) receive free of charge.3 This initiative was set up under the auspices (technical and economic) of Italy's Ministry of Health and is unique nationally and internationally.
Past and current efforts, including legislative measures in different countries, guide the way to a greater challenge. The joint participation of different countries in setting up a European formulary led by an international committee would be a valuable achievement and should be supported.
The project would be a challenge for the European Community and would result in consensus on drug treatments for children (a qualitative and quantitative synthesis of the evidence4), guaranteeing all children the same approved, acknowledged treatments to which they are entitled.
Maurizio Bonati, head
Laboratory for Mother and Child Health, "Mario Negri" Pharmacological Research Institute, Via Eritrea 62, 20157 Milan, Italy
Chiara Pandolfini, senior researcher
pandolfini@marionegri.it, Laboratory for Mother and Child Health, "Mario Negri" Pharmacological Research Institute, Via Eritrea 62, 20157 Milan, Italy
CP is supported in part by a Monzino fellowship.
Competing interests: None declared.
References
Pandolfini C, Bonati, M. Off-label drug use in children in Europe: a major health issue. Pharm Dev Regul 2003;1: 133-43.
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Medicines for children. London: British Medical Association, 1999.
Ministero della Salute. Guida all'uso dei farmaci per i bambini. Rome: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2003.
Chalmers I, Hedges LV, Cooper H. A brief history of research synthesis. Eval Health Prof 2002;25: 12-37.
An example of a concrete effort to fulfil this need is Medicines for Children, a paediatric formulary aimed at helping those who prescribe for children or who dispense for or give drugs to them.2 A formulary's main objective, in fact, is not simply to list drugs and their therapeutic profile but to function as a tool for rationally using drugs. A formulary must be a source of up to date, evidence based information for the most common clinical problems in and out of hospital.
Researchers in Italy have joined in the United Kingdom's efforts of compiling a national formulary by creating an Italian version of the formulary, adapted to the Italian context, entitled Guida all'uso dei farmaci per i bambini , which all Italian doctors, nurses, and pharmacists (about 600 000) receive free of charge.3 This initiative was set up under the auspices (technical and economic) of Italy's Ministry of Health and is unique nationally and internationally.
Past and current efforts, including legislative measures in different countries, guide the way to a greater challenge. The joint participation of different countries in setting up a European formulary led by an international committee would be a valuable achievement and should be supported.
The project would be a challenge for the European Community and would result in consensus on drug treatments for children (a qualitative and quantitative synthesis of the evidence4), guaranteeing all children the same approved, acknowledged treatments to which they are entitled.
Maurizio Bonati, head
Laboratory for Mother and Child Health, "Mario Negri" Pharmacological Research Institute, Via Eritrea 62, 20157 Milan, Italy
Chiara Pandolfini, senior researcher
pandolfini@marionegri.it, Laboratory for Mother and Child Health, "Mario Negri" Pharmacological Research Institute, Via Eritrea 62, 20157 Milan, Italy
CP is supported in part by a Monzino fellowship.
Competing interests: None declared.
References
Pandolfini C, Bonati, M. Off-label drug use in children in Europe: a major health issue. Pharm Dev Regul 2003;1: 133-43.
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Medicines for children. London: British Medical Association, 1999.
Ministero della Salute. Guida all'uso dei farmaci per i bambini. Rome: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 2003.
Chalmers I, Hedges LV, Cooper H. A brief history of research synthesis. Eval Health Prof 2002;25: 12-37.