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Acceptability of different oral dosage forms in paediatric patients in hospital setting

Varsha Pokharkar1, Manjusha Sajith1, Thibault Vallet2

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutics, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune, India.

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|November 20, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Paediatric medicine acceptability in India is hindered by a lack of age-appropriate dosage forms. Oral liquids are well-accepted by infants, while tablets are preferred by older children, highlighting formulation needs.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Paediatric Medicine
  • Health Policy

Background:

  • Limited understanding of medicine acceptability hinders development of age-appropriate paediatric medicines globally.
  • Paediatric medicine acceptability varies by country due to cultural, healthcare, and policy differences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To map the acceptability of oral medicines in hospitalised paediatric patients in India.
  • To identify challenges in adopting age-appropriate paediatric formulations in India.

Main Methods:

  • Observational, cross-sectional study of paediatric patients (<18 years) on oral medication.
  • Utilised the CAST-ClinSearch Acceptability Score Test tool for evaluation.
  • Analysed acceptability across 20 dosage forms and 7 routes of administration.

Main Results:

  • 490 patients recruited; 193 product evaluations conducted.
  • Oral liquids (50%) and tablets (35%) were most common.
  • Oral liquids were positively accepted by infants/toddlers; tablet acceptability improved with age (good from 6 years).

Conclusions:

  • Limited progress in adopting age-appropriate paediatric dosage forms in India.
  • Key challenges include lack of awareness, availability, and child-appropriate medicine policies.
  • Addressing these challenges is crucial for improving medicine acceptability in children.
Abstract

Keywords:
administration and dosageage appropriatechilddosage formmedicinespharmaceutical preparations

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