Repurposing medicines is a fashionable term that is used to describe using existing medicines in new ways. This is interesting for children as often clinical studies are conducted in adults and a medicine is then used in children without the same level of evidence to support it’s use. This leave children at risk to unexpected side effects or incorrect dosing. New interest in repurposing has attracted new funding and now there are incentives to develop age-appropriate medicines for children – this can only make the clinical picture better for children going forwards.
It is time to take action and make sure that children have access to the medicines they need in a form that they can take. There are new funding streams to support this work and it is important to work collaboratively to achieve our goals.
http://www.findacure.org.uk/open-call/