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Achieving big with small: quantitative clinical pharmacology tools for drug development in pediatric rare diseases

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Abstract

Pediatric populations represent a major fraction of rare diseases and compound the intrinsic challenges of pediatric drug development and drug development for rare diseases. The intertwined complexities of pediatric and rare disease populations impose unique challenges to clinical pharmacologists and require integration of novel clinical pharmacology and quantitative tools to overcome multiple hurdles during the discovery and development of new therapies. Drug development strategies for pediatric rare diseases continue to evolve to meet the inherent challenges and produce new medicines. Advances in quantitative clinical pharmacology research have been a key component in advancing pediatric rare disease research to accelerate drug development and inform regulatory decisions. This article will discuss the evolution of the regulatory landscape in pediatric rare diseases, the challenges encountered during the design of rare disease drug development programs and will highlight the use of innovative tools and potential solutions for future development programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Takeda Development Center Americas Inc, 125 Binney St, Cambridge, MA, 02142-1123, USA

    Mariam A. Ahmed & Gaurav Dwivedi

  2. Pfizer Inc, 235 East 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10017, USA

    Janelle Burnham

  3. US Food and Drug Administration, 10903, New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA

    Bilal AbuAsal

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Contributions

MAA designed the review, wrote most of the clinical Pharmacology section. JB wrote the regulatory section, contributed to the clinical pharmacology section. GD contributed to the clinical pharmacology section. BA wrote the conclusion section, contributed to the clinical pharmacology section. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mariam A. Ahmed.

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Ahmed, M.A., Burnham, J., Dwivedi, G. et al. Achieving big with small: quantitative clinical pharmacology tools for drug development in pediatric rare diseases. J Pharmacokinet Pharmacodyn 50, 429–444 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10928-023-09863-x

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