Preemies may be harmed by Liquid Medicines

Leicester, England, January 24: Liquid medicines contain chemicals which can prove particularly harmful for premature babies, suggests a study published ahead of print in the fetal and neonatal edition of ‘Archives of Disease in Childhood.’

British researchers said that medicines sometimes contain substances that are even higher than the level recommended for adults and could cause nerve damage, since babies are the most vulnerable. The ones born early are at an even higher risk of all kinds of diseases as their systems are underdeveloped.

Medicines contain ‘excipients,’ which ease the administration, absorption or preservation of the active substances or help better the taste and appearance of the medicine.

The study, led by researchers at Leicester Royal Infirmary, involved 38 babies born between June 2005 and July 2006. The babies were all born in less than 30 weeks of pregnancy and weighed less than 1,500g (3.3lb) each.

While in hospital for between 2.5 and nine weeks, the babies were given various treatments, including iron and vitamin drops, furosemide (a diuretic used to reduce fluid retention or treat congestive heart failure or lung disease) and dexamethasone (a steroid).

The treatments exposed them to “over 20 excipients including ethanol and propylene glycol, chemicals associated with neurotoxicity,” said the researchers.

The excipients included ethanol (alcohol used in iron and furosemide), sorbitol (in dexamethasone and iron) and propylene glycol (found in dexamethasone).

The researchers also found that seven of the infants in the study had severe lung disease and they were exposed to higher levels of excipients than the others.

Researchers believe that the problem lies in the fact that medicines are almost always tested on adults, whose systems are better developed than the children. So safety of the youngsters is never guaranteed in medicines tested on older people.

Acknowledging that it would be quite difficult for drug-makers to tailor their products for each age group, and the use of some excipients is necessary, the authors concluded: "We feel it is important that the [medicines regulators] not only ensure that all manufacturers provide detailed labeling of the excipient content of their products but all lead action to determine whether existing practice constitutes a risk, and if so, how this might be dealt with."