FDA Finds Dosing Errors for Children’s Medications

By Christopher Walker
Dec 1 2010

Today the Food and Drug Administration discovered that many children’s medications sold in the US have incorrect dosing instructions.

Federal officials are currently investigating the dosing instructions on many of the most popular medications for children.

 This is limited to the liquid forms of the medications and has caused quite a stir in the world of over the counter medications. This coincides with the massive recalls of all children’s Tylenol on the market.

The danger, according to the FDA, is that parents do not know how much of the medication to give to their children. The unclear dosing instructions have caused hundreds of cases of accidental overdose in kids all over the US.

But many experts have said that it is the threat of legal action that has created the problem with dosing instructions.

Experts suggest that the companies are so afraid of litigation that they are changing the wording on their dosing panels to protect themselves. This is creating a dramatic problem with parents unable to understand how much they are supposed to offer to a sick child.

Furthermore, the difference in the medications based on the age and size of the child has created another issue. Thus the FDA is hoping that they can develop some kind of blanket dosage directions that will help the companies clarify the instructions without undermining their ability to resist the litigation.

The FDA has said that they will issue a statement on the matter in the next several weeks.