A critical moment for neonatology: appeals from the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health Commission

TL;DR

This paper highlights the challenges in neonatology research and proposes a global alliance to overcome these barriers and improve neonatal health.

Contribution

The paper proposes the formation of a Global Alliance for Innovation in Neonatal Health to address research barriers in neonatology.

Findings

Neonatology lacks sufficient preclinical and clinical studies due to low industry interest and public support.

Excessive bureaucracy and lack of standardized outcomes hinder neonatology research and clinical trials.

Formal recognition of neonatology as a specialty is lacking in many countries, affecting training and research.

Abstract

The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health Committee on the Future of Neonatology has published an important document on the future of neonatology to highlight the significant challenges hindering the development of research in this field of medicine.

The number of preclinical and clinical studies in neonatology is insufficient due to a lack of interest from industry and insufficient support from public agencies. In many countries, neonatology is not formally recognized as a medical specialty, which fosters a shortage of academic positions, with negative effects on both neonatology research and the training of young neonatologists. This situation is exacerbated by excessive bureaucracy, which hinders productive interaction with regulatory agencies and ethics committees and makes conducting randomized controlled clinical trials excessively expensive. The lack of shared standardized outcome definitions and the limited use of real-world data contribute to making neonatology research more difficult.

We support the Commission’s proposal for a Global Alliance for Innovation in Neonatal Health (GAINH), which would include neonatologists, former patients, families, industry, and public bodies, such as governments and universities, to address and remove barriers to advancing neonatal health through high-impact research and innovation.