Researchers warn about drug prescriptions for children, especially those under the age of 6. Indeed, France is one of the largest consumers of drugs and this age category is particularly exposed to adverse effects.

As the authors of the study, published in the medical journal The Lancet Regional Health Europe, young minors are vulnerable to adverse drug events because their bodies are immature. They also describe that “ the safety profile of many medicines used in pediatrics is only partially known “. It is for these reasons that scientists from Inserm, the National Institute of Health and Medical Research, analyzed data in order to quantify drug prescriptions for French children. Thanks to this study, the researchers hope to encourage prescribing drugs in young people in a more reasoned way.  

Indeed, it reveals that in 2018 and 2019, around 86 out of 18 children under the age of 100 were exposed to a drug prescription. What worries specialists is that this figure corresponds to an increase of 4% compared to the period 2010-2011. In addition, more than 97 out of 100 children aged under 6 were exposed, making it the most affected category.

The researchers also analyzed the reimbursed dispensations of drugs for this age group, to find out the therapeutic substances prescribed during the period. Analgesics (painkillers) are the most prescribed (64%), followed by antibiotics (40%) and corticosteroids by the nasal route (33%). The other drugs most often dispensed are vitamin D (30%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (24%), antihistamines (25%) and oral corticosteroids (21%). After this observation, one of the co-author of the study, Dr Marion Taine, warns, because “ more than one in two children under 6 received an antibiotic prescription within a year “And” one in three children under the age of 6 received an oral corticosteroid prescription during 2018-2019 […] and this despite the known adverse effects of this therapeutic class ».

By comparison, children living in France are prescribed 5 times more oral corticosteroids than children living in America and 20 times more than Norwegian minors. Regarding antibiotics, the frequency of prescription is five times higher than for children in the Netherlands. There are some limitations to this analysis, however, as healthcare and reimbursement systems differ from country to country. It is also possible that a “ more aware of the benefit-risk balance of drugs Exists in other populations, explain the authors. For Doctor Taine, ” Better information for the population and prescribers regarding the use of medicines in children is essential ».