European Commission updates on Pediatric Regulation

The European Commission has published a progress report on medicines for children covering the five years since the Pediatric Regulation came into force. This preliminary snapshot points to improvements in the pediatric medicines landscape: better and safer research, more medicines for children on the European Union market and more information for parents and health professionals.

Although it will take at least another five years for the full impact of the legislation to be understood, due to the long development cycles for medicines, the EU commitment to better medicines for children is clear, the Commission said.

Tonio Borg, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy said: "The Pediatric Regulation was adopted to address a very serious gap in health care. Despite the fact that children make up over 20 % of the population, many of the medicines prescribed to them were not specifically studied and authorised for use in children. I am pleased to see that in five years, progress has been made on research and the safety of children's medicines, and I hope that this marks the beginning of a much needed paradigm shift."