Fondazione Gianni Benzi is pleased to announce the publication of a new article in the Journal Frontiers in Medicine. The manuscript, entitled Repurposing for Paediatric Needs: The Role of Reformulation, comes from the ideas on this topic from our researcher Viviana Giannuzzi and Siri Wang from the Norwegian Medical Products Agency. It argues the role of reformulation for paediatric needs as part of the repurposing concept, by providing existing data and the perspective of the authors.
The article highlights that the lack of appropriate paediatric formulations is still a health problem that has not yet been solved, particularly for off-patent medicines. It results in medication errors, inaccurate dosing and lack of compliance. And this represents a challenge faced by children, caregivers and healthcare professionals in obtaining suitable and safe drugs for paediatric treatments.
Another key point is repurposing, which involves the use of existing off-patent drugs for new indications. Although it offers a promising avenue to address unmet medical needs in paediatrics, the article emphasises the importance of including reformulation strategies to ensure the availability of age-appropriate formulations for children.
The article also delves into factors that might contribute to barriers to stimulate the development of new formulations for children. These barriers include economic considerations, regulatory challenges and the lack of specific incentives for reformulation projects. Potential solutions are proposed, as well.
In conclusion, this article makes us emphasises to rethink the regulatory measures for paediatric formulations, maybe starting from including them in the repurposing concept.