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Replacing liquid with solid dosage forms in pediatric practice: Feasibility and economic impact from a hospital-based
Rama Arab1, Behrouz Kassai2, Roubi Kilo1
1Laboratoire de biométrie et biologie évolutive, CNRS, UMR 5558, Équipe EME, université de Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 8, rue Guillaume Paradin, Bât B, 69008 Lyon, France.
Therapie
|January 18, 2022
Summary
Pediatric liquid medications can often be replaced with suitable solid dosage forms, presenting opportunities for cost savings. This study identified ten key drugs for such substitution in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pharmacology
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Health Economics
Background:
- Liquid dosage forms are common for pediatric medication administration.
- Concerns exist regarding the stability, palatability, and accurate dosing of liquid medications.
- Substitution with solid dosage forms may offer advantages in terms of stability, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the top 10 drugs frequently given to children in liquid form.
- To determine which of these liquid medications have suitable solid alternatives available.
- To estimate the potential economic impact of switching from liquid to solid dosage forms.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 312,152 oral drug administrations from health records.
- Selection of 10 drugs based on administration frequency in liquid form.
- Assessment of solid form alternative suitability and calculation of potential cost savings.
Main Results:
- Ten frequently administered drugs were identified with available solid alternatives: paracetamol, cyamemazine, valproic acid, clonazepam, furosemide, prazepam, hydroxyzine, alfacalcidol, amitriptyline, and levetiracetam.
- Approximately 34.6% of administrations for these drugs in liquid form could be replaced by suitable solid dosage forms.
- The substitution of liquid formulations with solid dosage forms could be achieved without additional cost.
Conclusions:
- Significant opportunities exist to substitute liquid medications with commercially available solid dosage forms for pediatric use.
- Solid dosage forms are suitable in terms of size and dosage for the pediatric population.
- This substitution strategy can optimize medication administration and potentially reduce healthcare costs.
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