Pediatric Dug Delivery - Assignment

Running head: PEDIATRIC DRUG DELIVERY
Pediatric dug delivery
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PEDIATRIC DRUG DELIVERY1
Classically, the neonatal prescription of medication is yet to be researched.
Pharmacological studies research the movement of these drugs inside the body and the
responses generated by the body to these drugs, scientifically termed as pharmacokinetic and
pharmacodynamic studies respectively with an ultimate objective to enhance the potency of
the drug while maintaining safety. The results obtained from these studies concluded a
higher diversity in the movement of these drugs within the body as compared to the
biological responses generated. The neonatal community is further subdivided based on the
age groups into neonates (0-1 month of age), infants (1-12 months of age), developing
children (2-12 years of age) and adolescents (up to 16 years) (Food and Drug Administration
1998).
The divisions are different from each other in terms of the size of body, composition,
physical features and biochemical constitution. The groups, neonates to developing children,
experience rapid changes in growth and development, particularly in weight and surface area.
Bodyweight becomes twice during the infant stage in the first 6 months and three-fold by the
next 6 months. Similar growth is observed in the body surface area, which becomes twice in
the first year (Davis et al. 2000). Other frequent developmental changes during this period
occur in body fats, water content, protein composition, organ size and functions. Moreover,
significant developments are also observed in the immunity against diseases and the
functioning of the pharmacological receptors and are different from adults. In evidence, renal
diseases play a more crucial role than hypertension in children but are secondary in adults. It
has a direct impact on the drug design and clinical trials of antihypertensive medicines
(Benjamin Jr et al. 2008).
As the pharmacokinetic properties of a drug depend on physiology and anatomy, the
drugs for children have a minimum or no similarity with those of the adults. It primarily
differs in its concentration in blood plasma or tissues.

PEDIATRIC DRUG DELIVERY2
Little is known about the pharmacokinetic impact, such as absorption mechanisms of
the drugs in the bodies of children due to insufficient clinical information on the effect of the
drug inside the body in the infant population. Nonetheless, the release of the drug in children
varies due to variation of pH in the intestinal fluid composition and the gut transit duration.
On average, the pH of the gut during birth is neutral. However, it lowers to the acidic range
of pH 1-3 within 48 hours of birth. On day 8, the intestinal pH regains its neutral value and
reached the adult pH range after 2 years of age (Welcome 2018). The increased pH range in
pediatric populations safeguards it against acid-labile doses and is associated with increased
levels of beta-lactam antibiotics (Huang and High 1953). The abundance of weal acids
delivered through the mouth such as acetaminophen, phenytoin and phenobarbital cab be
decreased up to 12 years of age because of high ionisation under achlorhydric conditions.
Another reason for lowered pediatric medication period includes the effects of gastric
motility, decreased motility and peristalsis in pediatric folk. A prolonged duration of drugs
inside the infant’s body heightens the absorption potential of penicillin. Also, the levels of
intestinal and pancreatic secretions and biliary excretions in the neonatal population are low,
which are pre-requisites for solubilising, absorption, protonating and deprotonating specific
drug compounds (Alcorn and McNamara 2003).
The effectiveness and period of action of a drug depend on its dispersal. As the
dispersal of water content and extracellular fluid in the body diminishes with development,
the volume of distribution in these patients is higher than their adult counterparts. This has a
direct correlation with the doses of ampicillin and other similar beta-lactam antibiotics.
Hence, the administration of these antibiotics occurs at a significant weight-based dose or
suitable periods in the population below 12 years of age as they vary in their bodily
constitution (Kearns et al. 2003). Besides, it is also known that protein binding has an effect
on the diffusion volume of the drugs as a result of which plasma protein binding is less in