Africa: The Case for Including More Babies and Young Children in Medical Research
This article discusses the critical lack of clinical trial data for babies and young children, noting that they are often excluded from medical research. It highlights the risks of treating children with medicines designed for adults and calls for more inclusive testing practices.
Why it matters
Improving pediatric clinical trial participation is essential to ensure that medications are safe and effective for children, who are currently often treated as 'therapeutic orphans.'
All medicines and treatments have to go through lengthy safety and efficacy testing, but this is particularly tricky - and often delayed - for one important age group. Spotlight explores the complexities of conducting clinical trials involving babies, and why those complexities are worth grappling with.
Babies are at risk of developing illness and severe disease yet they are often not included in clinical trials. Because of this, when babies do get seriously ill, doctors sometimes have comparatively little scientific evidence to draw on when making decisions about their care.
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