Drug Formulation for Pediatric Oral Antimicrobial Agents in Japan: Current Status, Prospects, and Challenges

The development of antibiotics that are acceptable and easy for children to take and use is highly desirable. As advocated by the World Health Organization, solid oral formulations with excellent shelf-life, taste masking and dose adjustment are attracting attention as appropriate pediatric oral antimicrobial formulations, but liquid formulations remain the most common worldwide. Apparently unique to Japan, the most common formulations of oral antimicrobials for pediatric use are dispensed as a powder with most being flavored powders. Powdered formulations are packaged in single doses, which eliminates the need for parents to weigh them before administration and may reduce the possibility of dosage errors. On the other hand, there are some formulations that require large doses of powder due to inappropriate concentrations, granular formulations that have a rough texture that affects palatability, and some formulations that require flavoring agents to mask the bitter taste of the main drug. Such inappropriate formulations have a significant impact on adherence to antimicrobial therapy. It remains unclear whether solid oral dosage forms might be as acceptable worldwide as in Japan. To ensure that appropriate antimicrobials are delivered to children worldwide, a direction for the development of appropriate dosage forms in children needs to be established.