Bitter medicine

the german philosopher Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) once famously commented that “the test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.” yet, in many cases, modern care of sick children seems to fail Bonhoeffer’s test. too often, drugs are inadequately tested for safety and efficacy specifically in children, and the relatively few paediatric studies that are performed often lack basic safeguards. there is even a deficiency of basic research to address questions as fundamental as how children react to and metabolize drugs. in response, legislators and regulatory authorities have implemented new legislation aimed at better protecting children and stimulating research into paediatric treatments.