Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group International Pediatric Pharmacy and Pharmacology Symposium, 24–26 April 2009; Orlando, Florida, USA

Abstract

This milestone meeting, expertly organized by Mr David Knoppert (Scientist, Children’s Health Research Institute, Department of Pharmacy, St Joseph’s Hospital, London, ON, Canada), was the first international symposium on paediatric clinical pharmacy andpharmacology.Over 220paediatric pharmacists and clinical pharmacologists, representing more than 20 countries and all continents, were welcomed by Dr Stuart MacLeod (Department of Paediatrics, University of British Columbia, and Child & Family Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada) representing the International Alliance for Better Medicines for Children (IABMC). Plenary sessions, lectures, round table discussions and workshops were given/led by an international contingent of experts. The content reflected the interdisciplinary nature of paediatric therapeutics, covering, in addition to clinical pharmacy and pharmacology, drug policy, drug safety, pharmacogenomics, drug regulation, international health, pharmacy education and pharmaceutical formulation science. The themes of the symposium were outreach, translational research and clinical practice. Within this framework, presenters and attendees examined how paediatric pharmacy and pharmacology, through international collaboration, can contribute to optimal drug therapy for the world’s children. The need for multidisciplinary networks through enhanced communication and collaboration was evident throughout the meeting; practitioners, educators and researchers from industry, government and pharmacy organizations emphasised this. Representatives included Dr Agnes Saint Raymond (European Medicines Agency [EMEA]), Ms Sara Arenas (European Society of Clinical Pharmacy [ESCP]),Dr David Hoff (American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s [ACCP] Practice and Research Network [PRN]), Dr John van den Anker (European Society for Developmental Perinatal & Paediatric Pharmacology [ESDPPP]), Dr Michael Christensen (Pediatric Pharmacy AdvocacyGroup [PPAG]),DrGeorge Giacoia (National Institutes of Health [NIH]), Dr Suzanne Hill (WHO), Dr Sharon Conroy (Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group [NPPG]) and Dr Klaus Rose (Roche). They identified specific areas to target, including (i) enhancing undergraduate and graduate training in paediatric pharmacy; (ii) developing a system for data integration and information sharing across countries; (iii) focusing on collaborative research and capacity building of researchers/ clinicians; (iv) increasing the quality of paediatric drug clinical trials in all age groups (including neonates and pregnant women) and increasing the number of multicentre trials to maximize the use of a limited pool of patients; (v) advocacy of paediatric medication issues through government and nongovernment non-profit entities and the pharmaceutical industry; (vi) focusing on formulations, unlicensed use of medications, reference sources and prescription monitoring; (vii) identifying the players (product, supply, research, use, policy, pharmacoepidemiology) and including representatives inmultidisciplinary teams; and (viii) offering knowledge to developing countries and encouraging trained paediatric clinicians to reach out to the remote and underserved. There are both many challenges and opportunities. There is a lot of enthusiasm within the sector but the workload is huge, and paediatric pharmacists and pharmacologists are underrepresented. We need to learn from past mistakes, maximize