In many cases, especially with rare diseases, paediatric versions of effective drugs have not been manufactured. In addition, the drugs made for adults have frequently not been tested for children.
Dr. Jaana Joensuu of the National Agency for Medicines says that adult medicines are given to 80 percent of children in intensive care and to 90 percent of premature babies.
The lack of paediatric drugs stems from the fact that the pharmaceutical industry makes better profits on adult drugs. Testing their use for critically ill children is expensive.
This may soon change in the European Union. Lawmakers are preparing regulations that would require pharmaceutical companies to test the drugs' effectiveness and safety on children before applying for a sales permit.
Adult drugs can be harmful for children, because their bodies process drugs differently. For instance, since the kidneys and liver are not fully developed, it takes longer for medicine to leave a child's body.
YLE24, Finnish News Agency