Dr. Janet
Mifsud, 
Dept. of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics,
University of Malta
Dr. Doriette Soler,
Dept. of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics,
University of Malta
Ms. Hanna Shabbi,
Researcher, Dept. of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics,
University of Malta
Mr. Lino Sghendo,
Researcher, Dept. of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics,
University of Malta
Dr. Paul Collier,
Queens University of Belfast, Ireland
Dr. Jeff Millership,
Queens University of Belfast, Ireland
Infants and
children are excluded from the approved indications for use of the majority of
drugs passed by the F.D.A. In Europe over 50% of medicines used have never been
evaluated in children. The majority of drugs used to treat adults will have been
through the licensing process. In the E.U. 20% of total population are aged 0 -
16 years (75 million people). At present children’s doses are largely based on
adult information extrapolation of adult clinical data e.g. weight (mg/kg) body
surface area (mg/m2). Children differ physiologically, possibly affecting
absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (pharmacokinetics), efficacy
& side-effect profiles. This research work is considering the therapeutics of
the novel antiepileptic drugs in epileptic paediatric patients in Malta,
therapeutic drug monitoring methods for the interpretation of blood level
monitoring of the novel antiepileptic drugs will be established and
pharmacokinetic data for these drugs determined using NONMEN.
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