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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2005;294:2148-2151.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

More than a quarter century ago, pediatrician Harry Shirkey, MD, of Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Ala, described infants and children as "therapeutic or pharmaceutical orphans" because relatively few drugs had been explicitly studied in pediatric patients (Shirkey. J Pediatr. 1968;72:119-120). Although the problem is well recognized, addressing it is no easy feat because of one incontrovertible truth: children cannot be protected from all research-related risks if they also are to benefit from medical treatments that can ameliorate or cure diseases. At some point, a child will be the first to receive a new drug or other therapy, so a delicate balance must be maintained between advancing knowledge that can help children and ensuring that risks are minimal and reasonable.

"I think a lot of people are saying, ‘Let’s develop drugs for kids and let’s not pose any risks to kids’—and they’re hoping that someone’s going to . . . [Full Text of this Article]

FOLLOWING THE RULES