Pediatric drug formulations: challenges and potential solutions.

Lack of pediatric drug formulations for both currently marketed and new drugs continues to be a challenge. Marketing of commercial products, along with pediatric indications, would be the ultimate solution to the lack of pediatric drug formulations. However, until that occurs, funding of research on extemporaneous formulations proposed by scientists should be a high priority. Government, academia, industry, the USPC, and professional associations should collaborate in developing the best policies and an action plan. Infants and children should not be expected to wait for stable extemporaneous formulations of important drugs until an unrealistic goal of having all generic and new drugs available commercially in suitable formulations has been realized.