Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) Priority List of Needs in Pediatric Therapeutics for 2011 Is Now Available

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are pleased to announce the release of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) Priority List of Needs in Pediatric Therapeutics for 2011. This list, representing the highest priority drugs for study in pediatric populations, has been published in the Federal Register Volume 76, Number 63 (Friday, April 1, 2011) and is also available for your reference at the BPCA Web site.

 In transitioning from prioritizing drugs to therapeutics needs as mandated in the BPCA reauthorization of 2007, the NICHD recently implemented several changes to its prioritization process including researching preliminary drugs, improving NIH interagency collaborations, and soliciting expert input. Your participation as an expert by either, contributing therapeutic area/drug nominations or as a member of a BPCA therapeutic area working group discussing knowledge gaps in therapeutic approaches to treat diseases, is critical to fulfilling BPCA's mission and therefore highly valued at the

In the coming weeks, information will be sent out regarding this year's BPCA prioritization process and annual meeting. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact:

Perdita Taylor-Zapata, M.D
Medical Officer/Chair-BPCA Working Group
Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology Branch
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institutes of Health
Phone: 301-496-9584
E-mail: [email protected]