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Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite some clinician advocacy for the use of gabapentin to treat neonatal irritability of presumed neurological origin, the extent of gabapentin administration to hospitalized neonates is unknown. We aimed to identify trends in gabapentin utilization among infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the United States and to evaluate the associations between clinical diagnoses and gabapentin treatment. METHODS We analyzed neonates admitted to the NICU using the Pediatric Health Information System (2005 to 2016) to measure treatment timing, duration, and frequency. We used modified Poisson regression with a robust between-cluster variance estimator to calculate a probability (adjusted relative risk) for gabapentin administration. RESULTS Of 278,403 neonates, 374 were administered gabapentin (0.13%). The median treatment duration was 16 days (25th to 75th percentile: 8; 40). Gabapentin use increased from 0% in 2005 to 0.39% in 2016. Treatment was prescribed to neonates at 31 of 48 studied hospitals; 73% of total treated infants localized to five neonatal intensive care units. Term (0.16%) and ≤28 weeks' gestation preterm infants (0.22%) were most likely to receive gabapentin. Varying by gestational age, a diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities, severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia, hemorrhagic stroke, and neonatal abstinence syndrome were associated with higher treatment with gabapentin. The majority (88.8%) of treated infants did not have a seizure diagnosis. CONCLUSION Gabapentin use in NICU in the United States increased in recent years and varies markedly between institutions. Term infants, ≤28 weeks' gestation preterm infants, and neonates with chronic genetic, neurological, and gastrointestinal diagnoses were more likely to receive gabapentin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hibo H Abdi
- Center for Perinatal Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Nathalie L Maitre
- Center for Perinatal Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Kristen L Benninger
- Center for Perinatal Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Mark E Hester
- Center for Perinatal Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Jonathan L Slaughter
- Center for Perinatal Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
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Soul JS, Pressler R, Allen M, Boylan G, Rabe H, Portman R, Hardy P, Zohar S, Romero K, Tseng B, Bhatt-Mehta V, Hahn C, Denne S, Auvin S, Vinks A, Lantos J, Marlow N, Davis JM. Recommendations for the design of therapeutic trials for neonatal seizures. Pediatr Res 2019; 85:943-954. [PMID: 30584262 PMCID: PMC6760680 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-018-0242-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Although seizures have a higher incidence in neonates than any other age group and are associated with significant mortality and neurodevelopmental disability, treatment is largely guided by physician preference and tradition, due to a lack of data from well-designed clinical trials. There is increasing interest in conducting trials of novel drugs to treat neonatal seizures, but the unique characteristics of this disorder and patient population require special consideration with regard to trial design. The Critical Path Institute formed a global working group of experts and key stakeholders from academia, the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies, neonatal nurse associations, and patient advocacy groups to develop consensus recommendations for design of clinical trials to treat neonatal seizures. The broad expertise and perspectives of this group were invaluable in developing recommendations addressing: (1) use of neonate-specific adaptive trial designs, (2) inclusion/exclusion criteria, (3) stratification and randomization, (4) statistical analysis, (5) safety monitoring, and (6) definitions of important outcomes. The guidelines are based on available literature and expert consensus, pharmacokinetic analyses, ethical considerations, and parental concerns. These recommendations will ultimately facilitate development of a Master Protocol and design of efficient and successful drug trials to improve the treatment and outcome for this highly vulnerable population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet S Soul
- Boston Children's Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Ronit Pressler
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | | | - Geraldine Boylan
- INFANT Research Centre & Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Heike Rabe
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, England
| | | | | | - Sarah Zohar
- INSERM, UMRS1138, University Paris V and University Paris VI, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Varsha Bhatt-Mehta
- C.S.Mott Children's Hospital, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Cecil Hahn
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Scott Denne
- Riley Children's Hospital, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Stephane Auvin
- Pediatric Neurology Department & INSERM U1141, APHP, Robert Debré University Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Alexander Vinks
- College of Medicine & Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - John Lantos
- Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Neil Marlow
- UCL Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jonathan M Davis
- The Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center and the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Boston, MA, USA
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van Dijkman SC, Alvarez-Jimenez R, Danhof M, Della Pasqua O. Pharmacotherapy in pediatric epilepsy: from trial and error to rational drug and dose selection - a long way to go. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2016; 12:1143-56. [PMID: 27434782 DOI: 10.1080/17425255.2016.1203900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Whereas ongoing efforts in epilepsy research focus on the underlying disease processes, the lack of a physiologically based rationale for drug and dose selection contributes to inadequate treatment response in children. In fact, limited information on the interindividual variation in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) in children drive prescription practice, which relies primarily on dose regimens according to a mg/kg basis. Such practice has evolved despite advancements in pediatric pharmacology showing that growth and maturation processes do not correlate linearly with changes in body size. AREAS COVERED In this review we aim to provide 1) a comprehensive overview of the sources of variability in the response to AEDs, 2) insight into novel methodologies to characterise such variation and 3) recommendations for treatment personalisation. EXPERT OPINION The use of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic principles in clinical practice is hindered by the lack of biomarkers and by practical constraints in the evaluation of polytherapy. The identification of biomarkers and their validation as tools for drug development and therapeutics will require some time. Meanwhile, one should not miss the opportunity to integrate the available pharmacokinetic data with modeling and simulation concepts to prevent further delays in the development of personalised treatments for pediatric patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven C van Dijkman
- a Division of Pharmacology , Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research , Leiden , The Netherlands
| | - Ricardo Alvarez-Jimenez
- a Division of Pharmacology , Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research , Leiden , The Netherlands
| | - Meindert Danhof
- a Division of Pharmacology , Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research , Leiden , The Netherlands
| | - Oscar Della Pasqua
- b Clinical Pharmacology and Discovery Medicine , GlaxoSmithKline , Stockley Park , UK.,c Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics , University College London , London , UK
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Donovan MD, Boylan GB, Murray DM, Cryan JF, Griffin BT. Treating disorders of the neonatal central nervous system: pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations with a focus on antiepileptics. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2015; 81:62-77. [PMID: 26302437 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.12753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Revised: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
A major consideration in the treatment of neonatal disorders is that the selected drug, dose and dosage frequency is safe, effective and appropriate for the intended patient population. Thus, a thorough knowledge of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the chosen drug within the patient population is essential. In paediatric and neonatal populations two additional challenges can often complicate drug treatment - the inherently greater physiological variability, and a lack of robust clinical evidence of therapeutic range. There has traditionally been an overreliance in paediatric medicine on extrapolating doses from adult values by adjusting for bodyweight or body surface area, but many other sources of variability exist which complicate the choice of dose in neonates. The lack of reliable drug dosage data in neonates has been highlighted by regulatory authorities, as only ~50% of the most commonly used paediatric medicines have been examined in a paediatric population. Moreover, there is a paucity of information on the pharmacokinetic parameters which affect drug concentrations in different body tissues, and pharmacodynamic responses to drugs in the neonate. Thus, in the present review, we draw attention to the main pharmacokinetic factors that influence the unbound brain concentration of neuroactive drugs. Moreover, the pharmacodynamic differences between neonates and adults that affect the activity of centrally-acting therapeutic agents are briefly examined, with a particular emphasis on antiepileptic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria D Donovan
- Pharmacodelivery Group, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Geraldine B Boylan
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research, University College Cork and Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland
| | - Deirdre M Murray
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - John F Cryan
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Brendan T Griffin
- Pharmacodelivery Group, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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