Abstract
The evaluation of a new chemical entity for use in pediatric populations, while normally a development afterthought, can be successfully accomplished early in a clinical program by careful foreplanning utilizing available development program tools. Compassionate use programs provide an excellent framework for the collection of safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic data in pediatric populations. The conduct of formal pharmacokinetic studies in children may proceed in parallel with pediatric efficacy studies, if appropriately designed and staged. Additional collection of meaningful and predictive pharmacokinetic specimens may be accomplished in children without the need for repeated phlebotomy. Careful selection of target populations for pharmacokinetic research in children may expedite rapid drug development of pediatric indications. Utilizing these techniques, a pediatric clinical development program may be prosecuted with minimal prior adult data and synchronous with the overall clinical development program.
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