Evidence Network

Canada’s chance to catch up on drug safety for children

By Martin Offringa and Terry P. Klassen Comments Off on Canada’s chance to catch up on drug safety for children , , , , ,

Almost a year has passed since an important report was released on ways Canada needs to improve medicines for children. The report was commissioned by Health Canada and undertaken by the Council of Canadian Academies after many alarms were sounded by experts in the community.

Most medications prescribed to children have not been adequately studied

By Martin Offringa and Terry P. Klassen Comments Off on Most medications prescribed to children have not been adequately studied , , , , ,

The development of new therapies has provided our health care system with enormous advances, such as insulin for diabetes, antibiotics for infections or chemotherapy for many cancers. Yet these therapies may also cause potential harm, even death, so the benefits have to be carefully weighed against the risks.