As Temperatures Rise Dog Bites Become A Particular Threat To Young Children
Young children are especially vulnerable to severe dog bites in the head and neck areas, and there is a correlation between cases of dog bites and rising temperatures, according to new research published in the March 2009 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
In an evaluation of 84 cases of dog bites in children over an eight-year period, the authors found that most injuries were caused by family pets (27%), with a high frequency of injuries occurring during the summer months. While the reason for this is unknown, the authors suggest it may be because of children spending time outdoors playing with dogs in the warmer temperatures, or due to a general increase in the irritability of dogs during the warmer months.
The most common sites of bites to the head and neck were the cheeks (34%), lips (21%), and nose and ears (both 8%). Sixty-four percent suffered wounds in more than one location, with the average wound size 7.15 cm. Pit bulls were the breed most commonly cited as the cause for the attack.
The authors believe that by implementing more accurate and timely reporting of dog bites to local health authorities, medical professionals can be educated on how to identify trends and develop prevention strategies. The authors recommend a system for uniform data collection to include the circumstances of the dog bite (signs of provocation, adequacy of child supervision, breed of dog, sex of animal, spay/neuter status, history of prior aggression of the dog, dog restraint, time of event, patients previous histories of dog bites, length of dog ownership, location where dog bite injury occurred, disposition of dog afterwards, and vaccination profile rabies/tetanus). Furthermore, families should be made aware of the increased likelihood of dog bite injuries during the summer months.
It is estimated that 1 percent of all emergency room visits can be attributed to dog bite injuries, including 44,000 annual cases of facial injuries in the United States alone.
Notes:
Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery is the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) and the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy (AAOA). The study’s authors are Angelo Monroy, MD, Philomena Behar, MD, Mark Nagy, MD, Christopher Poje, MD, Michael Pizzuto, MD, and Linda Brodsky, MD, all of Buffalo, NY.
About the AAO-HNS
The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (entnet/), one of the oldest medical associations in the nation, represents nearly 12,000 physicians and allied health professionals who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. The Academy serves its members by facilitating the advancement of the science and art of medicine related to otolaryngology and by representing the specialty in governmental and socioeconomic issues. The organization’s vision: “Empowering otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons to deliver the best patient care.”
Source: Matt Daigle
American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery
Campaign In Mozambique Aims To Increase Awareness About Sexual Abuse Of Girls, Prevent Spread Of HIV
A campaign financed by ActionAid International called “No to Sexual Abuse of Girls in Education” has led to a network of clubs for girls in schools and communities in the Manica province of Mozambique, IRIN/PlusNews reports. The campaign’s goal is to reduce sexual abuse of girls, and since 2006, 30 clubs in the province have been established that work with neighborhood watch groups to report cases of abuse to authorities. The groups also publicize laws regarding sexual abuse. According to IRIN/PlusNews, there were four cases of sexual abuse of girls reported in 2008 in the province, down from 15 cases reported in 2007. IRIN/PlusNews also profiled one of the four cases, which involved a seven-year-old girl who was raped and later tested positive for HIV (IRIN/PlusNews, 2/25).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
© 2009 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
New Advice For The Treatment Of Cough And Colds In Children, UK
Responding to guidance issued today by the Medicines and Healthcare
products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), advising that cough and cold treatments
should not be used for children under 6 years of age, the Royal
Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) has issued the following
advice to parents.
RPSGB’s Director of Policy, David Pruce, says:
“In view of the MHRA’s new guidance, the RPSGB considers it good practice
to restrict the use of some over-the-counter (OTC) products for the treatment
of cough and cold symptoms in children under 6 years of age.
“For children under 6 who have uncomplicated coughs and colds, the
following medicines are suitable for use:
– Paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve pain and lower temperature;
– Simple non-pharmacological cough mixtures for the treatment of coughs
(for example paediatric simple linctus or those containing glycerol or honey
and lemon);
– Vapour rubs and inhalant decongestants which can be applied to
children’s clothing to provide relief of stuffy or blocked nose for children
and infants over 3 months. Saline (Sodium Chloride 0.9%) nose drops can be
helpful particularly in infants who are having difficulty feeding.
Further research is required on how effective OTC medicines are for
coughs and colds in children over 6 years. Parents with young children
experiencing a cough or cold should seek the advice of their community
pharmacist about the best treatment to relieve symptoms,” said David Pruce.
“It is important to emphasise that these products have been used safely
for many years. However, having reviewed all the available evidence, experts
now recommend that the lack of robust evidence of their effectiveness in
young children and the small risk of adverse effects means that we no longer
recommend their use in children under 6.
“Children between 6 and 12 years old are less likely to suffer from
adverse effects of these medicines. Further clinical trials being conducted
now will clarify how effective these medicines are in this age group. In the
mean time, parents should seek the advice of their pharmacist. Pharmacists
are experts in medicines and are well placed in the heart of communities to
offer advice to members of the public who may have concerns about safe
treatments for children.”
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is the professional and
regulatory body for pharmacists in England, Scotland and Wales. It also
regulates pharmacy technicians on a voluntary basis, which is expected to
become statutory under anticipated legislation.
The primary objectives of the RPSGB are to lead, regulate, develop and
represent the profession of pharmacy. The RPSGB leads and supports the
development of the profession within the context of the public benefit. This
includes the advancement of science, practice, education and knowledge in
pharmacy. In addition, it promotes the profession’s policies and views to a
range of external stakeholders in a number of different forums.
Following the publication in 2007 of the Government White Paper Trust,
Assurance and Safety – The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st
Century, the RPSGB is working towards the demerger of its regulatory and
professional roles. This will see the establishment of a new General
Pharmaceutical Council and a new professional body for pharmacy in 2010.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
PENTAX Announces Book To Benefit Childhood Cancer Research
PENTAX Imaging Company is pleased to announce the PDML Photo Annual comprised of artwork from 59 photographers from around the world. This book will benefit Childhood Cancer Research. The project, led by Mark Roberts, an instructor in multimedia at Youngstown State University, with photographers Doug Brewer of Richmond, KY; Bill Robb of Regina, Canada; and Scott Loveless of Harrisburg, PA, brought together 59 artists in 15 countries to create this work. Their Internet-based approach facilitated coordination between the editors and dozens of contributors scattered around the world. Photographers uploaded their images through a web site, where the editors could view them and exchange ideas and opinions through email. The book was assembled electronically and uploaded to an online publishing site where copies are printed whenever orders are placed through the web.
Mark Roberts’ partner, Dr. Lisa Teot of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is a pediatric pathologist and member of the Children’s Oncology Group, so they decided to use the book to raise money for the National Childhood Cancer Foundation’s CureSearch project (curesearch). The PDML had previously undertaken a project selling photography-oriented items online to raise money for the CureSearch project, a charity dedicated to raising private funds for childhood cancer research by the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s largest cooperative cancer research organization. (In addition, one of the photographers contributing to the project, Dr. Rick Womer of Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, is a COG member.) 100 percent of the profits from sales of this book will be donated to the National Childhood Cancer Foundation.
The PDML (PENTAX-Discuss Mail List) is an email list of photographers all over the world, whose subject matter and styles are as varied as the countries in which they live. What they share is a sense of camaraderie and community, a deep love of the art of photography and the use of PENTAX cameras and lenses. Participating photographers came from United States, Canada, Great Britain, Norway, Israel, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Serbia, Iceland, the Philippines, Italy, Hungary and India. The photographs range from sweeping landscapes to urban documentary, fashion shots to abstracts and from still-life to wildlife. The PDML Photo Annual 2008-2009 is available now at blurb/bookstore/detail/573542.
For more information on the PDML Photo Annual, see robertstech/pdmlbook or contact Mark Roberts at msroberts01ysu.edu or 412-687-2835. A book cover image is available here.
For more information about the National Childhood Cancer Foundation and the Children’s Oncology Group, contact Dr. Lisa Teot at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 412-623-3746.
PENTAX Imaging Company is an innovative leader in the production of digital SLR and compact cameras, lenses, flash units, binoculars, scopes, and eyepieces. For 90 years, PENTAX technology has developed durable, reliable products that meet the needs of consumers and businesses. With headquarters in Golden, Colorado, PENTAX Imaging Company is a division of PENTAX of America, Inc.
PENTAX Imaging Company
Wyeth’s 7-valent Vaccine For Pneumococcal Disease Registered In Russia
Wyeth announced today that its 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine,
Prevenar(TM) (Pneumococcal saccharide conjugated vaccine, Adsorbed), has been
registered by the Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development
(Roszdravnadzor) and is expected to be commercially available later this
year. Prevenar (also referred to as PCV7), the global standard in
pneumococcal disease prevention for infants and young children, helps protect
against the seven pneumococcal serotypes contained in the vaccine that cause
the majority of pneumococcal disease worldwide.
“This important decision by Roszdravnadzor to register Prevenar is an
important step forward in helping to protect the more than 1.5 million
Russian children born every year from the potentially serious consequences of
pneumococcal disease,” says Dr. E. David McIntosh, paediatrician and Wyeth’s
Medical Director for Infectious Disease and Vaccines in Europe, the Middle
East and Africa. “Given the public health benefits that have been documented
where Prevenar is routinely used, Wyeth looks forward to engaging in
discussions with the Ministry of Health with a view toward including Prevenar
in the national childhood immunisation schedule in Russia.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pneumococcal disease
causes up to 1 million deaths in children each year and is the leading
vaccine-preventable cause of death in children younger than five years of age
worldwide.
The WHO recommends priority inclusion of PCV7 in national
childhood immunisation programs worldwide due to the significant burden of
pneumococcal disease and demonstrated vaccine efficacy.
Following inclusion of Prevenar into the routine U.S. paediatric
immunization schedule, there has been a 98 percent (95% CI: 97-99) reduction
in vaccine-type pneumococcal disease among infants and toddlers younger than
5 years of age compared with a prelicensure baseline. In addition, incidence
of disease caused by the seven conjugate vaccine serotypes declined 55
percent (95% CI: 51-58) among adults 50 years of age and older, an
unvaccinated group.
Prevenar is now available in more than 90 countries around the world, and
34 of those countries include Prevenar in their national childhood
immunisation programme.
Pneumococcal Disease
Pneumococcal disease affects both children and adults and is a leading
cause of illness and death worldwide. Pneumococcal disease is caused by the
bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae and describes a group of illnesses,
including invasive infections, such as bacteremia/sepsis and meningitis, as
well as pneumonia and otitis media.
Wyeth
Wyeth is one of the world’s largest research-driven pharmaceutical and
health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery, development,
manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology
products, nutritionals and non-prescription medicines that improve the
quality of life for people worldwide. The Company’s major divisions include
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal
Health.
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Wyeth
Arthritis Sufferers Experience Reduced Pain With Tai Chi
The results of a new analysis have provided good evidence to suggest that Tai Chi is beneficial for arthritis. Specifically, it was shown to decrease pain with trends towards improving overall physical health, level of tension and satisfaction with health status.
Musculoskeletal pain, such as that experienced by people with arthritis, places a severe burden on the patient and community and is recognized as an international health priority. Exercise therapy including such as strengthening, stretching and aerobic programs, have been shown to be effective for arthritic pain. Tai Chi, is a form of exercise that is regularly practiced in China to improve overall health and well-being. It is usually preformed in a group but is also practiced individually at one’s leisure, which differs from traditional exercise therapy approaches used in the clinic.
Recently, a new study examined the effectiveness of Tai Chi in decreasing pain and disability and improving physical function and quality of life in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. The study is published in the June issue of Arthritis Care & Research. Led by Amanda Hall of The George Institute in Sydney, Australia, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. They analyzed seven eligible randomized controlled trials that used Tai Chi as the main intervention for patients with musculoskeletal pain. The results demonstrate that Tai Chi improves pain and disability in patients suffering arthritis.
The authors state, “The fact that Tai Chi is inexpensive, convenient, and enjoyable and conveys other psychological and social benefits supports the use this type of intervention for pain conditions such as arthritis.”
“It is of importance to note that the results reported in this systematic review are indicative of the effect of Tai Chi versus minimal intervention (usual health care or health education) or wait list control,” the authors note. Establishing the specific effects of Tai Chi would require a placebo-controlled trial, which has not yet been undertaken.
Article: “The Effectiveness of Tai Chi for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Amanda Hall, Chris Maher, Jane Latimer, Manuela Ferreira, Arthritis Care & Research, June 2009.
Source:
Sean Wagner
Wiley-Blackwell
Physician Participation In Lethal Injection Executions Should Not Be Banned, Argue Two Ethicists
Should physicians be banned from assisting in a lethal injection execution, or lose professional certification for doing so? A recent ruling by the American Board of Anesthesiology will revoke certification of anesthesiologists who participate in capital punishment, and other medical boards may act similarly. An article in the Hastings Center Report concludes that decertification of physicians participating in lethal injections by a professional certifying organization goes too far-though individual physicians and private medical groups like the AMA are entitled to oppose the practice and may censure or dismiss members who violate it.
Physician participation in execution by lethal injection has always been controversial. All 34 death-penalty states use lethal injections for executions-and 33 of these allow or require physicians to participate. Kentucky is the only state that forbids physicians from participating in lethal injection executions. In 2008, when the Supreme Court upheld, in Baze v Rees, Kentucky’s execution process as constitutional, the path seemed clear for lethal injections to proceed without physician involvement. But this didn’t happen. As Lawrence Nelson and Brandon Ashby report in their article, “the protocols for almost all states still leave a place for physicians, apparently on grounds that physicians have the special ability to help the prisoner die swiftly and quietly, making the execution more humane for the prisoner, more efficient overall, and (to be frank) less disturbing for everyone who witnesses or has a hand in it.”
The authors review the arguments against physician participation, particularly that it is inconsistent with the goals of medicine to help and not harm people-and that the record of botched executions constitutes one of the strongest arguments in favor of participation. “Acknowledging the ability of physicians to reduce needless risk to the condemned,” they conclude, “we believe the most that can be fairly said is that physician participation neither fully advances the ethical ideals of medicine nor is strictly anathema to them.”
Lawrence Nelson is an associate professor of philosophy at Santa Clara University and a faculty scholar in the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Brandon Ashby is a graduate student with the faculty of philosophy at Oxford University, Lady Margaret Hall.
In their report, the authors find that arguments for and against physician participation in executions often get conflated with arguments about the broader question of the ethics of capital punishment. While they acknowledge that “reasonable people of good faith may disagree on the morality and efficacy of capital punishment,” the fact is that lethal injection executions continue to occur– with little prospect of ending soon. Forty such executions took place in the United States in 2010 and eight during the first two months of 2011. Over 20 are scheduled for the remainder of 2011.
The report examines the role that the state expects the physician to play. A newly opened facility in California, for instance, cost over $800,000 and is designed solely for performing executions efficiently, humanely, and in accordance with constitutional requirements. Yet the roles specified for the physicians in the California regulations involve activities expressly barred by the American Medical Association’s Code of Ethics.
“As far as we can determine,” Nelson and Ashby write, “no physician has lost his or her ability to practice medicine or been dismissed from a professional medical organization as a result of participation in executions.” But this may change. In February 2010, the American Board of Anesthesiology ruled that no anesthesiologists may “participate in capital punishment if they wish to be certified by the ABA.” And other specialty boards may follow suit.
Such new sanctions go beyond losing membership in a medical society. “Loss of board certification directly affects a physician’s ability to practice medicine and attract patients, given that many institutions and patients will not enter into a relationship with a physician lacking this credential of professional competence and accomplishment. . . The ABA’s action creates a significant conflict between the important interest of professional certifying boards in enforcing ethical standards and the commitment of the state to the effective, humane, and just administration of the criminal law,” the article states.
Will states be able to get physicians into the death chamber if by doing so they lose their practice? The authors cite the states of Washington and Oregon as offering one possible solution. As part of the Death with Dignity laws authorizing physician-assisted suicide, these states have included provisions explicitly forbidding organized medicine from punishing participating physicians.
Nelson and Ashby support the need for medical associations to establish professional guidelines, but they believe that depriving a physician of his or her livelihood is too onerous a penalty. There are other ways for professional associations to achieve their goals: “If a profession’s ethical standards ought to emerge out of a dialogue between the profession and the larger community it serves, then organized medicine, individual physicians, and the people in the thirty-four state that allow or require physician participation in executions out to engage in public debate aimed at reaching a practical and principled resolution of this chronic conflict.”
Source:
The Hastings Center
World Health Organization Regional Office For Europe
The WHO Regional Office for Europe calls on governments, health professionals, civil society and donors rapidly to scale up national immunization programmes, as outbreaks of measles grow larger and cross country borders. This highly contagious respiratory illness could spread because many children are not immunized or have received less than the required two doses of measles vaccine.
The decline in immunization rates is attributable to a combination of vaccine scepticism born of ideological positions and, ironically, the success of immunization programmes in earlier generations. In addition, some hard-to-reach vulnerable groups in every country still lack access to immunization. Further, the challenges to immunization are fed by disturbing and dangerously misleading anti-vaccination advocacy campaigns.
Paradoxically, although measles can be avoided through simple and inexpensive vaccines, children in affluent countries have a greater risk of infection. Nine of the ten countries in the WHO European Region with the lowest average measles immunization rates, from 2000 through 2007, are members of the European Union.
Over the last 12 months, over 8145 measles cases have been reported in the Region. Six western countries – Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom – and Israel accounted for 86% of them.
According to the latest reports, the provisional total number of measles cases in England and Wales was 1348 in 2008. In Switzerland, a measles outbreak began in November 2006 with 73 reported cases, and peaked in March 2008, with 2195 reported cases for that year; 500 of them involved complications. This outbreak is continuing. In up to 98% of all cases, the sick children were unvaccinated or only partly vaccinated, mainly by the decision of their parents. In 2008, outbreaks caused by the virus strain from Switzerland were reported in Germany (50 cases), Austria (202 cases) and Norway (4 cases).
Measles can lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia, encephalitis and death. In 2005-2008, 25 deaths from measles were reported in the Region (14 in 2005, 10 in 2006 and 1 in 2008). This number is widely believed to be a significant underestimate, as measles deaths are often listed as being due to other causes, such as pneumonia and encephalitis. During a large outbreak in the Netherlands 10 years ago, concentrated in groups that chose not to have the children vaccinated for religious reasons, almost 20% of cases suffered serious complications: 3 children died; 53 were admitted to hospital with pneumonia, encephalitis or other complaints; 130 were treated for pneumonia at home; 152 had otitis media (middle-ear infection); and 87 had other complications, mostly respiratory-tract infections.
“Today we have a safe and effective vaccine to prevent measles, but children still die of the disease. This needs to change,” says Dr Nata Menabde, Deputy Regional Director at the WHO Regional Office for Europe. “The Region has achieved substantial success in controlling this disease: we are very close to reaching our goals for measles elimination by 2010. Unfortunately, in 2008 measles incidence in the Region increased from the 2007 level. We must scale up vaccination coverage to ensure that the gains made so far are not jeopardized.”
European Immunization Week 2009
The WHO Regional Office for Europe, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partner organizations will hold European Immunization Week, an annual Region-wide campaign, on 20-26 April 2009. It is expected to increase the community’s awareness of the importance of vaccination. The campaign aims to help Member States fulfil their obligations for universal immunization, and analyse and tackle deficiencies in their immunization programmes.
In 2008, 32 of the 53 Member States in the Region took part in European Immunization Week. “We are optimistic that many more countries will take part in the campaign this year. Although it seems obvious, we still have a lot of work to do to spread the word about how important vaccines can be in helping protect children,” stresses Dr Menabde.
The WHO headquarters web site offers more information on measles The Regional Office web site provides information on:
- immunization (euro.who.int/vaccine), including why it must remain a priority (euro.who.int/vaccine/20081210_1) in the European Region;
- European Immunization Week (euro.who.int/eiw); and
- publications giving detailed surveillance data (euro.who.int/vaccine/publications/toppage) on the Region.
WHO
Educational Materials For New Mothers May Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome, CMAJ Study Shows
Educational materials on how to deal with crying newborns lead to increased knowledge about infant crying and behaviours that are important to preventing shaken baby syndrome, found two new studies being published online March 2 in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) cmaj/press/do-barr.pdf and Pediatrics.
The CMAJ study involved 1279 mothers in a randomized controlled trial in Greater Vancouver, BC, Canada who were provided materials from the Period of PURPLE Crying program, an 11-page booklet and DVD developed by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome in Ogden, Utah. Half the participants received the PURPLE materials and the other half received materials with parent safety tips and sleeping position guidelines. Materials were delivered by public health nurses during routine visits within 2 weeks of birth.
Mothers who received the PURPLE materials scored 5% higher in knowledge about crying compared with mothers who received the control materials. The PURPLE recipients walked away 1.7 times more frequently from inconsolable infant crying. They were 13% more likely to warn about the danger of shaking infants and to share advice about walking away if frustrated.
The PURPLE materials indicate that the following behaviours are normal but frustrating for parents and suggest coping mechanisms:
- Peak pattern, where crying increases, peaks during the second month, then declines
- Unexpected timing of prolonged crying
- Resistance to soothing
- Pain-like look on the face
- Long crying bouts
- Evening and late afternoon clustering
To help caregivers deal with a crying infant, the PURPLE materials suggest:
- calming responses (carry, comfort, walk and talk)
- put the baby down in a safe place, then walk away to calm yourself
- NEVER shake a crying baby
The annual rate of inflicted brain injury is estimated at 30 per 100,000 children aged 1 year or younger.
The researchers suggest that additional communication could result in increased awareness about the dangers of shaken baby syndrome. In this study, the nurses did not know which materials they were delivering. “The intervention may have had stronger effects if the nurses had reinforced the messages, or if the messages were reinforced by multiple exposures through prenatal, maternity and postnatal health care providers, media and community support organizations,” write Dr. Ronald Barr and coauthors. Dr. Barr is head of community child health at the Child & Family Research Institute and professor of pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.
“These findings complement the small number of reports that have reported that practical and contextually relevant materials presented to parents before or shortly after birth can change knowledge and behaviours and perhaps reduce the incidence of shaken baby syndrome,” conclude the authors.
CMAJ
Institute For Pediatric Innovation (IPI) Awarded Grant To Support Research In Children’s Medicines With World Health Organization (WHO)
The Institute for Pediatric Innovation (IPI), Inc., a nonprofit focused on transforming unmet needs for pediatric care into product opportunities for industry, today announced that it has been awarded a $550,000 grant to support World Health Organization research in children’s medicines, being conducted with Unicef. The goal of the research, which aligns directly with IPI’s mission, is to increase the number of medicines designed and formulated specifically for children.
IPI will conduct an intensive investigation of preferred dosage forms with children, parents and healthcare providers in Tanzania and two other East African countries. This research will guide development of needed children’s medicines, along with appropriate dosing guides, for chronic therapy of diseases such as tuberculosis.
“The WHO initiative addresses one of the core concerns that led to the founding of IPI,” said Dr. Stephen P. Spielberg of IPI. “Beyond basic access, children need medications in dosage forms that they can easily consume, and in dosages that have been tested based on their size and weight. In addition, medicines used in the developing world need to be stable in difficult environmental conditions such as high heat and humidity, easily transported and low cost. In many cases, reformulating an existing medication with these factors in mind can make a tremendous difference in its efficacy for children.”
This work supports the “make medicines child size” initiative, launched by WHO in December 2007. This campaign aims to raise awareness and accelerate action to address the need for improved availability and access to safe child-specific medicines for children under 15. According to a recent announcement by WHO providing additional details on this program, more than 50 percent of medicines prescribed for children have either not been developed specifically for children or have not been proven to be effective and safe for their use.
“Identifying dosage forms that are easy to use by healthcare providers and parents and palatable for children will go a long way to improving access to medicines for children,” said Dr. Sue Hill, World Health Organization. “The work of IPI will provide valuable information for researchers and manufacturers in developing safe, effective dosage forms that are specifically designed and tested for children.”
Background — About the Institute for Pediatric Innovation (IPI)
The Institute for Pediatric Innovation, a nonprofit organization, was formed to foster innovation to improve pediatric care by stimulating development of appropriate medical devices and drugs designed specifically for babies and children. Working with a Consortium of Pediatric Hospitals, IPI strives to identify the most needed products. IPI organizes public, private, nonprofit and for-profit collaborations in product innovation and licenses the resulting products to companies for commercial development. IPI is led by an experienced team of experts in licensing technology in pediatric medical care, commercializing medical technology, and marketing medical devices and pharmaceutical products. To date, IPI has received support from its consortium members along with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Children’s Medical Ventures, Inc., AGA Medical and Oxford Bioscience Partners.
Dr. Stephen P. Spielberg will serve as principal investigator for IPI, along with colleagues Dr. Lisa Adams, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School and the Dickey Center for International Understanding, and Dr. Sienna Craig, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Dartmouth College. Dr. Spielberg’s team will collaborate with colleagues at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Dr. Spielberg leads IPI’s Pediatric Pharmaceutical Reformulation Program, launched in January 2008 with the goal of tailoring existing pharmaceutical products for children’s needs. Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Mo., a founding member of IPI’s Consortium of Pediatric Hospitals, provided initial funding for the program.
IPI’s Consortium of Pediatric Hospitals is helping to identify the medical products that are most needed to improve the care of children. Clinicians from the Consortium hospitals help to identify issues, set priorities, and specify and test products. In addition to Children’s Mercy, founding members are University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital and the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. Recently, two additional leading pediatric institutions — Children’s Hospital in Denver and Children’s Hospital in Wisconsin — joined the Consortium.
In addition to his work with IPI, Stephen Spielberg, MD, PhD, serves as Director of the Center for Personalized Medicine and Therapeutic Innovation at Children’s Mercy. Dr. Spielberg also holds the Marion Merrell Dow Endowed Chair in Pediatric Pharmacogenetics and a professorial appointment at the UMKC School of Medicine. He served as Dean of Dartmouth Medical School from 2003 to 2007 and is one of the nation’s best-known specialists in pediatric pharmacology.
The Institute for Pediatric Innovation