Canadian Expert Panel Recommends Including Children In Drug R&D

The Council of Canadian Academies, an independent science group, has stated that children should be included in drug development efforts. Going against the long-standing tradition of excluding children, the group has published a press release and report titled, “Improving Medicines for Children in Canada.” The panel states that it is in children’s best interests to be included in drug R&D due to their differing developmental states, which can affect a drug’s safety and efficacy.

Dr. Stuart MacLeod, Chair of the panel, said, “Overall, our 14-member expert panel determined that children should be protected through research, rather than from it. There is an opportunity for Canada to move forward with innovative policies and regulations that will allow for a greater knowledge base and ultimately improved health care for the youngest members of our society.”

Council of Canadian Academies Report

The Minister of Health, on behalf of Health Canada, asked the Council to report on the drug development process in Canada and its effects on the country’s seven million children. The Council of Canadian Academies published its report on its website. The Council states that children take many medicines that are not proven safe or effective for their age group. It also says that children react differently to medication than adults and should be included in trials for that reason. The panel stated that since many prescriptions are written off-label, potential health risks are serious for children because the drugs were likely not tested in children. The group is calling for a “paradigm shift” to include children in clinical trials.

Pediatric Research in Canada

Dr. Stuart MacLeod, Pediatrics professor and leader of the expert panel, said that treating 20 or 30 percent of the population with drugs that have not been validated in the pediatric and adolescent age groups is “clearly unacceptable.” The experts said that studying children is always possible, and that Canada should look to the U.S. and the EU as models. The panel said that, while Canada has strength in pediatric research, it needs work to realize its potential.

However, this call for reform doesn’t just affect pediatric research. Recently, the Canadian government announced its plans to announced that it had formed a think tank for healthcare reform. Announced in a press release, the Advisory Panel on Healthcare Innovation hopes to engage health care leaders and the public. The group has an online questionnaire for comments and the report will be published in June 2015.