Reflection: medicines for children--science alone is not enough

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Pediatric Pharmacology
• Medicines Access

Background:

• Access to essential medicines for children's health needs is a persistent global issue.
• This problem disproportionately affects middle- and low-income countries where the majority of the world's children reside.
• Previous initiatives in the USA and European Union aimed to address pediatric medicine access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the global challenge of providing adequate medicines for children's therapeutic requirements.
• To underscore the particular difficulties faced by middle- and low-income countries in pediatric medicine access.
• To document the process and factors contributing to the adoption of a global pediatric medicines initiative.

Main Methods:

• The study describes the global pediatric and pediatric clinical pharmacology community's desire for a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative.
• It notes the WHO's initial resistance to involvement in a dedicated pediatric medicines program.
• The process involved advocacy, networking, cooperation, persistence, and some luck to achieve the resolution.

Main Results:

• The advocacy efforts culminated in the adoption of the "Better medicines for children" resolution 60.20 by the World Health Assembly in May 2007.
• This resolution marked a significant step towards improving access to pediatric medicines globally.
• The success required more than scientific advancement, involving concerted collaborative efforts.

Conclusions:

• Scientific advancements were instrumental in the developments leading to and following the pediatric initiatives.
• However, the World Health Organization's example demonstrates that science alone is insufficient to drive necessary change.
• Sustained advocacy, collaboration, and persistence are vital for global health policy implementation.