Simplifying medicine dosing for children by harmonising weight bands across therapeutic areas
Issued Date
2025-04-01
Resource Type
eISSN
23524642
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105000184817
Journal Title
The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health
Volume
9
Issue
4
Start Page
274
End Page
282
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health Vol.9 No.4 (2025) , 274-282
Suggested Citation
Waalewijn H., Almett M., Wasmann R.E., Cressey T.R., Easterbrook P., Olumese P.E., Hesseling A.C., Garcia-Prats A.J., Tarning J., Turkova A., Viney K., Svensson E.M., Colbers A., Were W.M., Denti P., Penazzato M., Burger D.M., White N.J., Mirzayev F., Verkuijl S.E., Brands A., Abbassi M., Dorlo T.P.C., Guerin P.J., Scott C.P., Parikh S., Indolfi G., McIlleron H., Barnes K.I., Masini T., van der Laan L.E. Simplifying medicine dosing for children by harmonising weight bands across therapeutic areas. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health Vol.9 No.4 (2025) , 274-282. 282. doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(25)00025-2 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/108575
Title
Simplifying medicine dosing for children by harmonising weight bands across therapeutic areas
Author(s)
Waalewijn H.
Almett M.
Wasmann R.E.
Cressey T.R.
Easterbrook P.
Olumese P.E.
Hesseling A.C.
Garcia-Prats A.J.
Tarning J.
Turkova A.
Viney K.
Svensson E.M.
Colbers A.
Were W.M.
Denti P.
Penazzato M.
Burger D.M.
White N.J.
Mirzayev F.
Verkuijl S.E.
Brands A.
Abbassi M.
Dorlo T.P.C.
Guerin P.J.
Scott C.P.
Parikh S.
Indolfi G.
McIlleron H.
Barnes K.I.
Masini T.
van der Laan L.E.
Almett M.
Wasmann R.E.
Cressey T.R.
Easterbrook P.
Olumese P.E.
Hesseling A.C.
Garcia-Prats A.J.
Tarning J.
Turkova A.
Viney K.
Svensson E.M.
Colbers A.
Were W.M.
Denti P.
Penazzato M.
Burger D.M.
White N.J.
Mirzayev F.
Verkuijl S.E.
Brands A.
Abbassi M.
Dorlo T.P.C.
Guerin P.J.
Scott C.P.
Parikh S.
Indolfi G.
McIlleron H.
Barnes K.I.
Masini T.
van der Laan L.E.
Author's Affiliation
Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit
Organisation Mondiale de la Santé
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
University College London
Imperial College Faculty of Medicine
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Uppsala Universitet
Radboud University Medical Center
Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Chiang Mai University
University of Cape Town
Organisation Mondiale de la Santé
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
University College London
Imperial College Faculty of Medicine
Nuffield Department of Medicine
Uppsala Universitet
Radboud University Medical Center
Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Chiang Mai University
University of Cape Town
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Generally, dose recommendations for children are expressed as fixed dosing increments related to bodyweight, known as weight bands. The weight bands recommended in WHO treatment guidelines vary between diseases, leading to complexity and potential dosing errors when treating children for multiple diseases simultaneously. The introduction of a harmonised weight banding approach for orally administered drugs across disease areas could streamline dosing for young children, but implementing such an approach would require changes in current dosing recommendations. In this Health Policy, we describe the process we conducted to: identify therapeutic areas for harmonisation of weight bands; propose a harmonised weight-banding system to align with current use of weight bands in antibiotic guidance; and simulate the expected effect of dose adjustments due to weight-band harmonisation. Each step of this process, along with the effect and feasibility of weight-band harmonisation was discussed with clinical, policy, and pharmacology experts convened by WHO, representing four therapeutic areas: tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, and hepatitis C. Dosing according to harmonised weight bands across the targeted therapeutic areas was found to be feasible and should be considered for implementation by WHO disease programmes through their appropriate normative processes.