Planned Ritalin Trial for Tots Heads Into Uncharted Waters

摘要

A new study of whether a popular but controversial drug is safe and effective for preschool children also raises ethical concerns about using young subjects in clinical trials. Doctors like to say that medicine is an art as well as a science. But the science seems a bit thin when it comes to giving drugs to young children. Physicians write millions of prescriptions for children each year without solid evidence that the therapy they're offering is safe or effective. To fill in that knowledge gap, U.S. scientists are gearing up for a major clinical trial intended to measure the effects of a popular stimulant on a previously untested population—children aged 3 to 6. But in doing so, they are also running up against one of the hottest ethical issues in research.