Health Minister supports paediatric pharmacy research
Ian Wong (third from left) discusses research with Lord Warner (far
left) |
Lord Warner, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, voiced his support for the development of paediatric medicines research during a visit to the Centre
for Paediatric Pharmacy Research, based at the School of Pharmacy, University of London, earlier this month.
During the visit researchers explained some of the efficacy and safety
problems associated with medicines routinely prescribed for children.
Lord Warner also experienced first hand some of the difficulties in obtaining
accurate dosages from crushed tablets. He was asked to prepare a 20mg
dose of sildenafil from a Viagra 25mg tablet for a hypothetical patient
with primary pulmonary hypertension. Research at the centre is focused
on evaluating the safety, efficacy and appropriate dosage of such unlicensed
use of extemporaneously prepared medicines.
The centre is a collaborative venture between the School of Pharmacy,
University College London Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond
Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust.
During Lord Warner’s visit, Ian Wong, director of the centre, presented
future plans for undertaking research in pharmacovigilance, medication
errors, pharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics in collaboration with other
institutions throughout Europe and beyond. Further collaborations are
envisaged with the development of a paediatric pharmacology research
unit and a paediatric clinical trials unit at the Institute of Child
Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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