[e-drug] Make medicines child size campaign (8)

["Jeffrey Mecaskey" <J.Mecaskey@savethechildren.org.uk>]

E-DRUG: Make medicines child size campaign (8)
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At the press conference, Save the Children experessed general support for
the campaign:  this is clearly necessary but it is by no means sufficient.
We point to three priorites for additional actions to make the potential
benefit of this a reality for billions of children around the world.  

¡P         There is a need for routine cross registration, so that drugs
approved in recognized markets are routine registered for use in less well
established markets;

¡P         The is a need to strengthen health systems, particularly supply
management and logistics, so that drugs can get from the ports and capital
cities to the communities where children need them, and;

¡P         There is a need to take account of the context in which these
preparations are actually used.  This includes heat stabilization,
packaging, and product inserts and instructions.  In much of the world¡Xand
this is particularly true in rural Africa and Asia where there is the
greatest need--primary care is not routine provided by doctors and nurses;
its provided by auxiliary health staff or by mothers themselves, who so
often have limited literacy or are pre-literate due to social barriers to
education. 

Jeffrey W. Mecaskey, Head of Health
Save the Children UK
Mobile:  +44 7917 550 253
e-mail:  j.mecaskey@savethechildren.org.uk