Drugs for Children

Paediatric off-label use of drugs in Gansu, China: a multicentre cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the current prevalence and cost of paediatric off-label drug prescriptions in Gansu, China, and the potential influencing factors.

DESIGN

The prevalence of off-label prescriptions in paediatrics was evaluated according to the National Medical Products Administration drug instructions in the China Pharmaceutical Reference (China Pharmaceutical Reference, MCDEX) database. The evidence of the prescription was determined by existing clinical practice guidelines and the Thomson Grade in the Micromedex 2021 compendium. We used logistic regression to investigate the characteristics that influence paediatric off-label drug use after single-factor regression analysis.

SETTING

A multicentre cross-sectional study of outpatient paediatric prescriptions in 196 secondary and tertiary hospitals in Gansu Province, China, in March and September 2020.

RESULTS

We retrieved 104 029 paediatric prescriptions, of which 39 480 (38.0%) contained off-label use. The most common diseases treated by off-label drugs were respiratory system diseases (n=15 831, 40.1%). A quarter of off-label prescriptions had adequate evidence basis (n=10 130, 25.6%). Unapproved indications were the most common type of off-label drug use (n=25 891, 65.6%). A total of 1177 different drugs were prescribed off-label, with multienzyme tablets being the most common drug (n=1790, 3.5%). The total cost of the prescribed off-label drugs was ¥106 116/day. Off-label prescriptions were less frequent in tertiary than in secondary hospitals. Topical preparations were more commonly prescribed off-label than other types of drugs. Senior-level clinicians prescribed drugs off-label more often than intermediate and junior clinicians.

CONCLUSION

Off-label drug use is widespread in paediatric practice in China. Three-quarters of the prescriptions may potentially include inappropriate medication use, resulting in a daily economic burden of about ¥81 000 in 2020 in Gansu Province with 25 million inhabitants. The management of off-label drug use in paediatrics in China needs improvement.

Puberty Suppression for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria and the Child's Right to an Open Future

In this essay, we consider the clinical and ethical implications of puberty blockers for pediatric gender dysphoria through the lens of "the child's right to an open future," which refers to rights that children do not have the capacity to exercise as minors, but that must be protected, so they can exercise them in the future as autonomous adults. We contrast the open future principle with the beliefs underpinning the gender affirming care model and discuss implications for consent. We evaluate claims that puberty blockers are reversible, discuss the scientific uncertainty about long-term benefits and harms, summarize international developments, and examine how suicide has been used to frame puberty suppression as a medically necessary, lifesaving treatment. In discussing these issues, we include relevant empirical evidence and raise questions for clinicians and researchers. We conclude that treatment pathways that delay decisions about medical transition until the child has had the chance to grow and mature into an autonomous adulthood would be most consistent with the open future principle.

Quantitative comparison of different inhaled corticosteroids in the treatment of asthma in children

BACKGROUND

The GINA recommends inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) for the treatment of steps 2-3 of childhood asthma. However, the difference in efficacy between these drugs remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of different ICS drugs in the treatment of childhood asthma.

METHODS

We searched PubMed and EMBASE for randomized controlled trials of ICSs in the treatment of childhood asthma. Using forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁) as the primary outcome, a time-course model of ICSs was constructed. In addition, the symptom-free days% were analyzed as a secondary outcome.

RESULTS

Six studies involving 2237 children that reported FEV₁ were included. The results showed that the ET50 of ciclesonide (CIC) and budesonide (BUD) was 1.23 and 2.97 weeks, respectively. Compared with them, FP had a higher efficacy. In terms of symptom-free days%, we found that the efficacy of beclometasone dipropionate was lower than that of CIC and fluticasone propionate.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the efficacy of three ICS drugs was quantitatively compared, providing necessary information for the implementation of medication guidelines for steps 2-3 of asthma in children.

IMPACT

This study analyzed the entire time-course of the drug efficacy of Inhaled corticosteroids in the treatment of asthma in children aged 5-12, which found that although the maximum efficacy of both ciclesonide and budesonide was the same, the onset speed of ciclesonide was faster than that of budesonide. The above information provides the necessary quantitative information for the implementation of medication guidelines for steps 2-3 asthma in children.

Core Concepts in Pharmacoepidemiology: Measures of drug utilization based on individual-level drug dispensing data

Background

Drug utilization studies are essential to facilitate rational drug use in the society.

Aim

In this review, we provide an overview of drug utilization measures that can be used with individual‐level drug dispensing data, referencing additional reading on the individual analysis. This is intended to serve as a primer for those new to drug utilization research and a shortlist from which researchers can identify useful analytical approaches when designing their drug utilization study.

Results and Discussion

We provide an overview of: (1) basic measures of drug utilization which are used to describe changes in drug use over time or compare drug use in different populations; (2) treatment adherence measures with specific focus on persistence and implementation; (3) how to measure drug combinations which is useful when assessing drug–drug interactions, concomitant treatment, and polypharmacy; (4) prescribing quality indicators and measures to assess variations in drug use which are useful tools to assess appropriate use of drugs; (5) proxies of prescription drug misuse and skewness in drug use; and (6) considerations when describing the characteristics of drug users or prescribers.

Recommendations on Off-Label Drug Use in Pediatric Guidelines

Objective: To systematically analyze the supporting evidence, drug information, and the type of off-label drug use in recommendations on off-label drug use in pediatric guidelines. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed by systematic search through MEDLINE (via PubMed) and Embase databases to identify literature published from 1 January 2018, to 31 December 2020. Only pediatric clinical practice guidelines that included recommendations on off-label use of drugs were included. We present descriptive information on the sources of the included guidelines, country, publication year, evidence grading system used, details on the types of off-label drug use, and the types of studies used as references to support the recommendations. Results: A total of 66 pediatric guidelines with 605 recommendations were included. Eighty-seven (14.4%) recommendations did not cite any references; and the remaining 518 recommendations were supported by 2,240 references (mean 4.3 references/recommendation). The most common types of studies cited were pediatric RCTs (n = 314, 14.0%), pediatric case series studies (n = 260, 11.6%), and reviews (n = 255, 11.4%). Twenty-one percent (n = 470) of the references were studies on adults. One hundred and forty (23.1%) recommendations were graded using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessments, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) system, of which 37 (26.4%) were graded as strong but supported with only C or D level of evidence. The most commonly reported type of information in the recommendations was indication (n = 499, 82.5%). The most commonly addressed type of off-label drug use in the 523 positive recommendations was unapproved population (n = 255, 48.8%). Sixty-nine (11.4%) recommendations explicitly reported the drug use as off-label. Conclusion: Children may be exposed to medical risks due to gaps in reporting and evidence of off-label drug use recommendations in pediatric guidelines.

Why are certain age bands used for children in paediatric studies of medicines?

Rational prescribing of medicines requires evidence from clinical trials on efficacy, safety and the dose to be prescribed, based on clinical trials. Regulatory authorities assess these data and information is included in the approved summary of product characteristics. Regulatory guidelines on clinical investigation of medicinal products in the paediatric population generally propose that studies are done in defined age groups but advise that any classification of the paediatric population into age categories is to some extent arbitrary or that the age groups are intended only as a guide. The pharmaceutical companies tend to plan their studies using age groups the regulatory guidelines suggest, to avoid problems when applying for marketing authorisation. These age bands end up in the paediatric label, and consequently into national paediatric formularies. The age bands of the most commonly used age-subsets: neonates, infant/toddlers, children and adolescents, are more historical than based on physiology or normal development of children. Particularly problematic are the age bands for neonates and adolescents. The age of 12 years separating children from adolescents, and the upper limit of the adolescents set by the definition of paediatric age in healthcare, which varies according to the region, are particularly questionable. Modern pharmacometric methods (modelling and simulation) are being increasingly used in paediatric drug development and may allow assessment of growth and/or development as continuous covariables. Maybe time has come to reconsider the rational of the currently used age bands.

[Educational support for obtaining national qualifications of foreign care workers: A qualitative analysis]

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to clarify the needs and issues of continuing employment and educational support for foreign care worker candidates (hereinafter referred to as candidates) to acquire national qualifications.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 people who took and passed the National Examination for Care Workers. The data was analyzed using the constant comparative method of the grounded theory approach. The validity of the results was examined by member checks and peer debriefing.

RESULTS

With "the wall in the process of acquiring national qualifications" as the core category, four categories were extracted as factors related to foreign care workers and accepting facilities, and six categories were extracted as factors related to accepting facilities and educational support.

CONCLUSIONS

We considered that the needs and issues of continuation of employment and educational support from the perspective of successful applicants are diverse across both training and practical aspects, and are related to the protection of the rights of foreign candidates. Educational support for acquiring national qualifications should meet various needs related to working and learning at the same time, and there are limitations to current training programs. It is necessary to evaluate and improve the current program based on this new knowledge.

Trends in Off-Label Drug Use in Ambulatory Settings: 2006-2015

BACKGROUND

Off-label drug use in children is common and potentially harmful. In most previous off-label use research, authors studied hospitalized children, specific drug classes, or non-US settings. We characterized frequencies, trends, and reasons for off-label systemic drug orders for children in ambulatory US settings.

METHODS

Using nationally representative surveys of office-based physicians (National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, 2006-2015), we studied off-label orders of systemic drugs for children age <18 based on US Food and Drug Administration-approved labeling for age, weight, and indication. We characterized the top classes and diagnoses with off-label orders and analyzed factors and trends of off-label orders using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Physicians ordered ≥1 off-label systemic drug at 18.5% (95% confidence interval: 17.7%-19.3%) of visits, usually (74.6%) because of unapproved conditions. Off-label ordering was most common proportionally in neonates (83%) and in absolute terms among adolescents (322 orders out of 1000 visits). Off-label ordering was associated with female sex, subspecialists, polypharmacy, and chronic conditions. Rates and reasons for off-label orders varied considerably by age. Relative and absolute rates of off-label orders rose over time. Among common classes, off-label orders for antihistamines and several psychotropics increased over time, whereas off-label orders for several classes of antibiotics were stable or declined.

CONCLUSIONS

US office-based physicians have ordered systemic drugs off label for children at increasing rates, most often for unapproved conditions, despite recent efforts to increase evidence and drug approvals for children. These findings can help inform education, research, and policies around effective, safe use of medications in children.

Antiemetic Drug Use in Children: What the Clinician Needs to Know

Vomiting is not only unpleasant for both children and families, but can lead to frequent hospital admission. The persistent vomiting hampers oral intake and increases the risk of dehydration, so the proper use of antiemetic drugs can be useful. The pharmacological treatment of vomiting in children remains a challenge for the pediatrician because several antiemetics are prescribed as "off-label," outside their authorized drug label. Domperidone and ondansetron are the most commonly known antiemetic drugs. A single oral dose of ondansetron has been shown to reduce the risk of recurrent vomiting, the need for intravenous fluids, and hospital admissions in children with acute gastroenteritis. There is enough evidence to support ondansetron administration in children, so the clinical use can be defined as "off-label/on evidence." This review aims to provide an overview of therapeutic use, safety, and main pharmacological properties of antiemetic drugs in children. A comprehensive search of published literature using the PubMed MEDLINE database was carried out to identify all articles published in English from 1998 to February 2018. At present time, the "off-label/on-evidence" use of some antiemetics could improve the success rate of oral rehydration therapy in pediatric emergency settings and to change the management of vomiting with the prevention of the complications.

Key Challenges in the Search for Innovative Drug Treatments for Special Populations. Converging Needs in Neonatology, Pediatrics, and Medical Genetics

The explosion of knowledge concerning the interplay of genetic and environmental factors determining pathophysiology and guiding therapeutic choice has altered the landscape in pediatric clinical pharmacology and pharmacy. The need for innovative research methods and design expertise for small clinical trials to be undertaken in sparse populations has been accentuated. At the same time, shortfalls in critical human resources represent a key challenge, especially in low- and middle-income countries where the need for new research and education directions is greatest. Unless a specific action plan is urgently developed, there will be a continuing gap in availability of the essential expertise needed to address treatment challenges in special patient populations such as neonates, patients suffering from rare or neglected diseases, and children of all ages.