The BNF for Children is the unrivalled guidance on prescribing, dispensing and administering medicines to children.
BNF for Children is the only child-focused drug formulary in the world that is both independent, and has rigorous, accredited content creation processes. It is trusted by health professionals worldwide as their primary source for minimising medication errors in paediatrics.
Sales and UpgradesContent Updates
Speed and safety: Provides rapid reference to essential information on the selection of safe and effective medicines for individual patients
Evidence Grading: As part of NICE accreditation recommendations, BNFc content is now evidence graded to reflect the strength of evidence behind them, increasing transparency to support healthcare professionals with clinical decision making
Always up-to-date: The content is revalidated, revised, and updated on a monthly basis, making sure you access only the very latest prescribing knowledge
Worldwide credibility: The BNFc uses clinical evidence from a diverse range of sources and a network of experts, giving you the confidence to select medicines safely
*based on average data in the last 12 months
This update contains 6 significant changes, 3 dose changes, and 2 new monographs.
Significant Changes:
• Ear: updated guidance for the management of acute otitis media.
• Human papillomavirus vaccine: updated guidance in-line with UK Health Security Agency recommendations.
• Immunisation schedule: updated guidance for immunisation against human papillomavirus and influenza.
• Influenza vaccine: updated guidance in-line with UK Health Security Agency recommendations.
• Paediatric Steroid Treatment Card to support early recognition and treatment of adrenal crisis in children with adrenal insufficiency [British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes] (advice in alclometasone dipropionate; beclometasone dipropionate; benzyl benzoate with bismuth oxide, bismuth subgallate, hydrocortisone acetate, peru balsam and zinc oxide; betamethasone; budesonide; ciclesonide; cinchocaine hydrochloride with fluocortolone caproate and fluocortolone pivalate; cinchocaine with hydrocortisone; cinchocaine with prednisolone; ciprofloxacin with fluocinolone acetonide; clobetasol propionate; clobetasone butyrate; deflazacort; dexamethasone; diflucortolone valerate; fludrocortisone acetate; fludroxycortide; flumetasone pivalate with clioquinol; fluocinolone acetonide; fluocinonide; fluorometholone; fluticasone; gentamicin with hydrocortisone; hydrocortisone; hydrocortisone butyrate; hydrocortisone with lidocaine; loteprednol etabonate; methylprednisolone; mometasone furoate; prednisolone; triamcinolone acetonide; triamcinolone hexacetonide; see example in dexamethasone).
• Pain, chronic: new guidance for management in children.
Dose Changes:
• Dexamethasone [update to dosing for COVID-19 requiring supplemental oxygen].
• Erythromycin [amended age range for otitis media and sore throat in children].
• Human papillomavirus vaccines [update to indications and dosing].
New Monographs:
• Givlaari® [givosiran].
• Rinvoq® [upadacitinib].
For further details on changes in the BNFC click on https://www.medicinescomplete.com/#/content/bnfc/PHP107699?hspl=changes
This update contains 5 significant changes and 1 dose change.
Significant Changes:
• Amiodarone hydrochloride (Cordarone X®): reminder of risks of treatment and need for patient monitoring and supervision [MHRA/CHM advice].
• COVID-19: updated guidance.
• Levetiracetam: addition of dosing for convulsive status epilepticus in children.
• Metformin hydrochloride: study shows no safety concerns in pregnancy [MHRA/CHM advice].
• Potassium permanganate: inadvertent oral administration of potassium permanganate [National Patient Safety Alert advice].
Dose change:
• Remdesivir [update to indications and dosing].
For further details on changes in the BNFC click on https://www.medicinescomplete.com/#/content/bnfc/PHP107699?hspl=changes
This update contains 8 significant changes, 3 dose changes, 1 new preparation, and 1 deleted preparation.
Significant Changes:
• Chlorhexidine [primary therapeutic area changed to genito-urinary system, secondary therapeutic area changed to oropharynx].
• Chloroquine: increased risk of cardiovascular events when used with macrolide antibiotics; reminder of psychiatric reactions [MHRA/CHM advice].
• COVID-19 vaccines: updated guidance in-line with UK Health Security Agency recommendations.
• Hydroxychloroquine sulfate: increased risk of cardiovascular events when used with macrolide antibiotics; reminder of psychiatric reactions [MHRA/CHM advice].
• Immunisation schedule: updated guidance in-line with UK Health Security Agency recommendations.
• Ivacaftor: Ivacaftor, tezacaftor, elexacaftor (Kaftrio®▼) in combination with ivacaftor (Kalydeco®): risk of serious liver injury; updated advice on liver function testing [MHRA/CHM advice].
• Remdesivir: reporting to the UK COVID-19 Antivirals Pregnancy Registry [MHRA/CHM advice].
• Smoking cessation: updated guidance on management.
Dose Changes:
• Eltrombopag [addition of Southeast Asian ethnicity to dosing for treatment of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura].
• Etanercept [update to dosing].
• Hepatitis B immunoglobulin [update to dosing in prophylaxis against hepatitis B infection from birth to 4 years old, and dosing in prevention of transmitted infection at birth].
New Preparation:
• Vaxelis® [diphtheria with tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, poliomyelitis and haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine]
Deleted Preparation:
• Synflorix® [pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (adsorbed)]
For further details on changes in the BNFC click on https://www.medicinescomplete.com/#/content/bnfc/PHP107699?hspl=changes
This update contains 4 significant changes, 2 dose changes, and 1 new monograph.
Significant Changes:
• COVID-19: updated guidance.
• COVID-19 vaccines: updated guidance in-line with UK Health Security Agency recommendations.
• Miconazole: oral gel no longer licensed for treatment of intestinal candidiasis.
• Phosphate imbalance: updated guidance on the use of phosphate-binding agents.
Dose Changes:
• Eculizumab [update to children’s dosing].
• Heparin (unfractionated) [dose statement for maintenance of neonatal umbilical arterial catheter amended to reflect use in practice (route removed)].
New monograph:
• Xevudy® [sotrovimab]
For further details on changes in the BNFC click on
https://www.medicinescomplete.com/#/content/bnfc/PHP107699?hspl=changes
This update contains 6 significant changes, 3 new monographs, 1 deleted monograph and 1 deleted preparation.
Significant Changes:
• Aciclovir: important safety information added to highlight different approaches to calculating doses depending on the age of the child.
• Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine: updated guidance for immunisation of neonates in-line with Public Health England/UK Health Security Agency recommendations.
• COVID-19 vaccine: update to age range of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (Comirnaty®) for immunisation against COVID-19.
• COVID-19 vaccines: updated guidance in-line with UK Health Security Agency recommendations.
• Immunisation schedule: updated guidance for immunisation of neonates in-line with Public Health England/UK Health Security Agency recommendations.
• Varicella-zoster vaccine: title changed to Varicella-zoster vaccines.
New Monographs:
• Pradaxa® [dabigatran etexilate].
• Xarelto® [rivaroxaban].
• Xofluza® [baloxavir marboxil].
Deleted Monographs: Meningococcal group C vaccine.
Deleted Preparations: Cervarix® [human papillomavirus vaccines].
For further details on changes in the BNFC click on
https://www.medicinescomplete.com/#/content/bnfc/PHP107699
This update contains 6 significant changes, 1 dose change and 1 deleted preparation.
Significant Changes:
• Adrenaline/epinephrine auto-injectors: reminder for prescribers to support safe and effective use [MHRA/CHM advice].
• COVID-19: updated guidance.
• COVID-19 vaccines: updated guidance in-line with Public Health England/UK Health Security Agency recommendations.
• Malaria, prophylaxis: updated guidance in-line with Public Health England recommendations.
• Phenobarbital: updated information on the available oral solutions and advice from the RCPCH/NPPG can be found in the prescribing and dispensing section of the Phenobarbital monograph.
• Yellow fever vaccine, live (Stamaril®): new pre-vaccination checklist [MHRA/CHM advice].
Dose Changes:
• Adrenaline/epinephrine [update to dosing for acute anaphylaxis].
Deleted Preparations: Tacni® [tacrolimus].
For further details on changes in the BNFC click on https://www.medicinescomplete.com/#/content/bnfc/PHP107699?hspl=changes
