The BBC's Fergus Walsh on drugs used on babies

A study of 70 babies at Derbyshire Children's Hospital found that 65% of drug treatments given to children had not been tested for use by them.

Many may also have been given higher doses of medicines than they should have received.

This could lead to side effects and possibly death, according to Professor Imti Choonara, a paediatrician at the hospital.

Published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, the Nottingham University study follows concerns raised last week about the use of an experimental ventilator technique at North Staffordshire Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent.

Twenty-eight premature babies treated with the technique died and 15 were left brain-damaged.

The hospital says this is the same number as would have been affected by conventional treatment.

However, the case has sparked a public inquiry and led to debate about the use of experimental techniques on young children.

Commercial interest

Professor Imti Choonara: Children's medicines aren't studied as thoroughly as adult medicines

Doctors say many drugs are not licensed for children because they were first introduced for adults and drug firms see no commercial interest in repeating experiments on children.

They claim most are safe. The drugs include caffeine which is commonly and effectively used to stimulate breathing in new-born babies.

But Professor Choonara says doctors cannot know what levels of drugs are safe for children unless more research is done.

He is calling on the Department of Health to put more funding into research into treatments for children.

He said Derbyshire was likely to be conservative in its use of untested drugs, compared with other hospitals.

Of the 455 drug treatments given to babies at the hospital between February and May last year, 10% were unlicensed and had not been tested on children.

Fifty-five per cent were licensed, but were being used in experimental ways on children.

"We have a situation at the moment where doctors are using drugs which are not licensed for children or babies," said Professor Choonara.

He added: "Doctors are having to guess at the doses because the medicines have not been tested on babies before.

"It follows there are obvious risks of side effects and casualties."

Professor Choonara blamed lack of funding for clinical drug trials on children and babies for the problem.