Overview of drug treatment in children

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Drug treatment in children differs from that in adults, most obviously because it is usually based on weight or surface area. Doses (and dosing intervals) differ because of age-related variations in drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination (see Pharmacokinetics in Children). A child cannot safely receive an adult drug dose, nor can it be assumed that a child’s dose is proportional to an adult’s dose (ie, that a 7-kg child requires 1/10 the dose of a 70-kg adult).
Most drugs have not been adequately studied in children, but federal legislation (the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act of 2001 and the Pediatric Research Equity Act of 2003, both made permanent in 2012—1; see also the FDA 2016 status report) provides the statutory and regulatory authority to begin those studies.