Effect of Body Weight and Age on the Pharmacokinetics of Dihydroartemisinin: Food and Drug Administration Basis for Dose Determination of Artesunate for Injection in Pediatric Patients With Severe Malaria.

For treatment of severe malaria, the World Health Organization recommends 3 mg/kg intravenous artesunate in pediatric patients weighing less than 20 kg. Here we describe the Food and Drug Administration's rationale for selecting 2.4 mg/kg in pediatric patients weighing less than 20 kg based on literature review and independent analyses.

Amoxicillin for postexposure inhalational anthrax in pediatrics: rationale for dosing recommendations.

We reviewed information about the safety and plasma pharmacokinetic data for amoxicillin, specifically related to its potential use for postexposure inhalational anthrax. Amoxicillin (45 mg/kg/d) given orally in 3 divided doses to pediatric patients <40 kg should yield an adequate time above the MIC for susceptible Bacillus anthracis (< or =0.5 microg/mL) over most of the dosing interval (75-100%). Doses <45 mg/kg/d and dosing intervals longer than 8 hours should not be used for postexposure inhalational anthrax.