This means they are licenced for children, but are being prescribed for conditions not covered by the licence. Drug manufacturers usually conduct adult trials on new medicines.
Parents are normally unwilling to allow their children to participate in a clinical trial.
It is simply unethical to carry out experimental studies on babies unless we are convinced it is safe to do so. Parental consent for testing new treatments or procedures with children is understandably an issue of concern. But we are equally concerned that children are being prescribed medicines every day which have not been tested or licensed for such use. The association sent out letters to 80 pharmaceutical companies asking them to outline their policies on trials involving children, but only a handful replied. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health recently published the first ever guide to the safe use of adult drugs in children, giving guidance on safe dosages and side-effects.