Medical practitioners worldwide now have access to standardised information on recommended use, dosage and effects

According to the WHO the new Formulary is based on the best global evidence available as to which medicines should be used to treat specific conditions, how they should be administered and in what dose.
Accurate dosing of medicines for use in children is essential, particularly those between 0-12 months. A dosing error in a child this small can have devastating results.
A number of individual countries have developed their own formularies over the years, but until now there was no single comprehensive guide to using medicines in children for all countries.

The Formulary will help health-care providers prescribe the right medicine, in the right formulation and the right dose.
For example in the case of medicines to treat malaria or HIV, the Formulary highlights the need for better fixed dose combinations - several medicines in one pill - for effective and safe treatment in children. Currently very few fixed dose combinations exist for children; just one anti-malarial and two antiretrovirals to treat children with HIV.

For more information on this topic and full coverage of this article please visit the WHO website via the following link:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2010/medicines_children_20100618/en/index.html