MONTREAL, July 29, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - The Goodman Pediatric Formulations Centre of the CHU Sainte-Justine welcomes the new measures announced by the Canadian government to facilitate access to medications in forms that are adapted to the needs of children. Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor made the announcement last Thursday during a visit to a hospital in northern Ontario.
A collaboration in recent years between Health Canada and various stakeholders, including the Goodman Pediatric Formulations Centre of the CHU Sainte-Justine, along with patients groups and experts in pediatrics, has helped reduce some of the administrative burden that was limiting the access of Canadian children to medications that are adapted to their needs and age.
Access to these types of medications can mean the difference between therapeutic success and therapeutic failure.
"We welcome the Federal Government's commitment to improve access to drug formulations that are tailored to the needs of children. Currently, over 20 drugs of this type have been approved and are commercialized in several G7 countries but are not yet available in Canada. It is imperative, for both safety and effectiveness reasons, that regulatory and reimbursement authorities improve access to these pediatric treatments, that are routinely used, and whose effectiveness has been demonstrated in a number of other countries in the world," stated Dr. Andrea Gilpin, Ph.D., General Manager of the Goodman Pediatric Formulations Centre of the CHU Sainte-Justine.
A not-for-profit organization, the Goodman Pediatric Formulations Centre wishes to thank its key partners who are constantly working to improve the health of Canadian children: Paediatric Chairs of Canada, KidsCAN Trials, MICYRN, Children's Healthcare Canada, the Canadian Paediatric Society, and the network of Canadian pediatric hospitals.
For more information about adapting drugs to children's specific needs, consult our recent publication: "Improving paediatric medications: A prescription for Canadian children and youth"
(abstract in English: https://academic.oup.com/pch/article/24/5/333/5538276;
abstract in French: https://academic.oup.com/pch/article/24/5/336/5538273).
About the Goodman Pediatric Formulations Centre of the CHU Sainte-Justine (GPFC)
Established in February 2016 as a not-for-profit, the mission of the GPFC is to improve access to medications that are adapted for children. In many cases, children are given adult medications that have been modified for use in children which may result in medicines that are difficult to administer, for example due to taste. The GPFC is the first of its kind in Canada, and has the mandate to facilitate and promote the development and commercialization of safe and effective medications in a formulation that is specifically adapted for children. The Centre is partnering with stakeholders to support and encourage the commercialization of more safe and effective pediatric drugs, and to promote practices to increase the quality of care of medicines administered to children. For more information please visit our web site: gpfccanada.com
About the CHU Sainte-Justine
The Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre (CHU Sainte-Justine) is the largest mother-child centre in Canada and the second largest pediatric hospital in North America. A member of the Université de Montréal extended network of excellence in health (RUIS), Sainte-Justine has 5,664 employees, including 1,578 nurses and nursing assistants; 1,117 other healthcare professionals; 502 physicians, dentists and pharmacists; 822 residents; and more than 200 researchers, 300 volunteers and 3,400 interns and students in a wide range of disciplines. Sainte-Justine has 484 beds, including 35 at the Centre de réadaptation Marie Enfant, the only exclusively pediatric rehabilitation centre in Quebec. The World Health Organization has recognized CHU Sainte-Justine as a "health promoting hospital." chusj.org
SOURCE Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center
Anne-Julie Ouellet, Director of Communications, [email protected], 514-923-2641; Andrea Gilpin, PhD, MBA, General Manager, [email protected], 514-465-2114
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