The Institute for Pediatric Innovation -- a recently formed nonprofit focused on improving healthcare for children, has announced the formation of a Consortium of Pediatric Hospitals -- a group of nationally recognized children's hospitals that will collaborate with the institute in its mission.

The Consortium is composed of founding members University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, and Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. These hospitals are widely regarded as innovators in the field of pediatric care.

Pediatric clinicians are often limited by devices and drugs that have not been optimized for the treatment of children. FDA has reported from various studies that about 70 percent of prescription drugs used on children may have been dispensed off label without proper pediatric dosing information. Medical devices used on children often have not been designed or sized for children.
IPI and its Hospital Consortium will identify priority needs in today's clinical care of children for redesigned devices and drugs reformulated specifically with a focus on children and promising new technologies for neonatal care.

"Pediatric healthcare has been a neglected, orphaned market," says Donald Lombardi, CEO of the Institute for Pediatric Innovation. "While many dedicated professionals and institutions are committed to providing top-notch pediatric care, they are hampered by inappropriate devices and drug formulations. In collaboration with these pioneering hospitals, we have a significant opportunity to affect positive change. We are creating new methods to stimulate development and commercial adoption of new medical products for children."

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