Antimicrobial resistance among children in Africa: need for paediatric clinical trials

Clinical trials are the gold standard for generating evidence-based knowledge in medicine. A disproportionately small number of clinical trials are conducted in children, a unique population who require age- and development-specific treatments. The rise in prevalence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) – specifically antibacterial resistant – pediatric infections in both community and hospital settings in Africa has not been matched by increases in access to effective antimicrobial therapy. In many low-resource settings, empirical antimicrobial therapies are no longer effective, and therapeutic options for AMR pathogens are either unaffordable or unavailable locally.