Many drugs are not tested on children because testing entails a risk -children are not just small but are also busy developing their bodies.
A major interdisciplinary study at Uppsala University shows that Swedish parents-to-be think that children should be included in research.
The participation of children is vital if safe and age-adapted treatments are to be developed. But children seldom take part in research studies, which means that drugs have never been tested on children and are therefore not evidence-based (based on proven experience) in the same way as those for adults. This can lead to unforeseen side effects of treatments, since children are not just small adults but rather growing individuals.
Taking part in testing takes time and may involve risks, which must be weighed against the good of attaining knowledge and safe treatments. This balance between risk and usefulness is ethically important.
"Our desire to protect children from unnecessary suffering has led to their being systematically excluded from potential advances in research, says Alina Rodriguez, who sees an international consensus beginning to form to include children in medical research.
Together with associates from the Faculty of Medicine and the joint Center for Bioethics at the Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University, she has run a study on the attitudes of 863 expecting parents regarding children participating in research and who, in that case, should bear the responsibility for making the decision. A large majority felt that it is necessary for children to take part and that the care-giving physician should be involved in the decision-making process.