Only 25 years ago, it was rare to find drug labels with dispensing information specific to children. That’s because pharmaceutical companies rarely, if ever, conducted the research necessary to develop such instructions. As a result, health care providers often gave children smaller doses of adult medicines, without evidence of how exactly the children would react.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Spotlight: NICHD Needs Your Input for the All of Us Research Program
NICHD needs your input for NIH’s All of Us program.
Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2015
Over the past year, NICHD contributed to numerous scientific advances and key initiatives.
Lithium appears appropriate for children with bipolar disorder
NICHD researchers speak about a recent study testing the drug lithium in children. For years, doctors have prescribed the drug to treat adults with bipolar disorder, but until now, it has not been studied in children.
Screening programs may miss many cases of life-threatening newborn infection
The drug-susceptible form of Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacterium that inhabits the body, may account for a greater number of infections among hospitalized newborns than the antibiotic-resistant form, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Anti-HIV drug for adults is safe, effective in children exposed to nevirapine in the womb
HIV-infected children exposed in the womb to nevirapine, a drug used to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, can safely and effectively transition to efavirenz, a similar drug recommended for older children and adults, according to a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Q&A with NICHD Acting Director Catherine Spong, M.D.
Dr. Cathy Spong became NICHD’s acting director on October 1, 2015. Here she shares her plans for the year and her thoughts on what makes NICHD so unique.
Drug used to treat HIV linked to lower bone mass in newborns
Infants exposed in the womb to a drug used to treat HIV and reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to child, may have lower bone mineral content than those exposed to other anti-HIV drugs, according to a National Institutes of Health study.
Standard treatment better than proposed alternative for unexplained infertility
Treatment with clomiphene, a standard therapy for couples with unexplained infertility, results in more live births than treatment with a potential alternative, letrozole, according to a study of more than 900 couples conducted by a National Institutes of Health research network.
NICHD Supports Wide Range of Research on the Placenta
The placenta is a temporary organ that connects a mother and her fetus. It performs multiple functions, acting as the fetus’s lungs, kidneys, and liver, as well as the gastrointestinal, endocrine, and immune systems. It produces hormones to help maintain pregnancy and support fetal development, and it protects the fetus from the mother’s immune system. There is even a role for the placenta in determining the timing of birth.
Antibiotic approved for treating infant abdominal infections
The antibiotic meropenem was approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration for treating abdominal infections in children less than 3 months of age.
For most children with HIV and low immune cell count, cells rebound after treatment
Most children with HIV who have low levels of a key immune cell eventually recover levels of this cell after beginning treatment, according to a study by researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.
NIH teams with industry to develop treatments for Niemann-Pick Type C disease
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health have entered into an agreement with biotechnology company Vtesse, Inc., of Gaithersburg, Maryland, to develop treatments for Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) and other lysosomal storage disorders.
Spoon measurements contribute to many child drug-dosing errors
Using a teaspoon or a tablespoon to give children medicine doubled parents’ chances of giving an incorrect dose, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Podcast: Low birthweight could complicate drug response later in life
NIH-funded study finds low birthweight could reduce overall effectiveness of drug treatments.
The Flu is Nothing to Sneeze at: Especially During Pregnancy
Having the flu usually means several days of discomfort in the form of coughing, sneezing, stuffy or runny nose, and sore throat. Some people also experience fever, aches and pains, and even vomiting from the flu. But for pregnant women, having the flu can also mean risks to her health, some of them serious, and to the health of her fetus.
Making Medicines Safer for Children: NICHD-Supported Research in Pediatric Pharmacology
If your health care provider wanted to give you a medication, but you knew that it hadn’t been tested on people within your age group, would you still take it? That’s the dilemma many parents face when trying to care for their children—the majority of drugs given to infants and children have not been tested in these age groups for safety, effectiveness, or dosage.
Picture This: NICHD Support for Neuroscience Research
At the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience , held in San Diego, California, from November 9–13, more than 30,000 neuroscientists from around the world will share their latest research results and learn about new advances and opportunities in the field.
National Breastfeeding Month and NICHD Research
Breastfeeding provides many benefits for both mother and baby. The NICHD and other agencies and organizations encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies to capitalize on the many benefits it provides.
Drug safety for children and pregnant women topic of March NICHD Director’s Podcast
Once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves a drug, physicians can use their best judgment to prescribe it to their patients—whether or not their patients are similar to those who took part in the clinical trials. Physicians can also prescribe drugs for diseases or conditions other than those for which they were originally tested.