Cefadroxil Oral Suspension Dispenser

Pediatric Dosing Information

The current Prescribing Information (PI), for the administration of Cefadroxil oral suspension (250mg/5mL) for children recites; a recommended daily dosage for children of 30.0 mg/kg/day in a single dose or in equally divided doses (15.0 mg/kg) every 12 hours depending on the infection.1

The PI dosing chart, (table 1) and product label describe the dosage equivalent of 250 mg of Cefadroxil per teaspoon. Conversely, the PI does not describe the extrapolation of 15.0 mg or 30.0 mg from the teaspoon and/or 5 mL-250mg suspension (6% – 12%) nor the subsequent conversion of the milligrams to an individual kilogram patient dose as prescribed.

Moreover, dozens of studies conclude that a household teaspoon is not an adequate measuring device.2 According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), among other health agencies, non-standard kitchen spoons are not recommended as a dosing apparatus for medicinal solutions. 2,3,4,5

More importantly, the directions obviate any dosing directions for children between these defined weights as well any method for obtaining the optimal dosing for the 15.0 mg/kg divided dose or the single dose of 30.0 mg/kg as prescribed.

The preparation and administration directions solely provide for a recommended daily dose based upon a weight range in 10-kilogram increments and not to a child’s specific kg body weight, see table 1. This dosing regimen provides highly variable and perhaps subtherapeutic dosing to children within the defined weight ranges. The recommended dosing does not provide a consistent accurate milligram dose to a child’s individual body weight as clinically recommended for Cefadroxil suspension for pediatric use, see table 2.

The Dose-Weight Syringe® is specifically calibrated to administer a patient specific dose of Cefadroxil oral suspension to the optimal dose of 15.0 mg/kg or 30.0 mg/kg to an individualized pediatric patient weight as recommended.

Table 1. Total daily dosage for children.

Table 2. Current dosing verses Dose-2-Weight ® Dosing

1https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/druginfo.cfm?setid=1662f7df-ce96-4d24-ae32-9a7f8833311d
2 Yin HS, Parker RM, Sanders LM, et al. Liquid Medication Errors and Dosing Tools: A Randomized Controlled Experiment. Pediatrics. 2016;138(4):e20160357. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-0357
Shah R, Blustein L, Kuffner E, Davis L. Communicating doses of pediatric liquid medicines to parents/caregivers: a comparison of written dosing directions on prescriptions with labels applied by dispensed pharmacy. J Pediatr. 2014;164(3):596–601, e591 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
McMahon SR, Rimsza ME, Bay RC. Parents can dose liquid medication accurately. Pediatrics. 1997;100(3 pt 1):330–333 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
5 Yaffe SJ, Bierman CW, Cann HM, et al. . Inaccuracies in administering liquid medication. Pediatrics. 1975;56(2):327–328 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Not Available in All Territories.
All labeling and dosing representation on this website is for informational and promotional purposes only.  It should not be used for prescribing or administering these products. Please contact your physician or a health care professional for all preparation and administration directions.