British National Formulary for Children

The British National Formulary 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.

Subscribe Content 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

900 +

drugs

7million +

page views

200 +

treatment summaries

360

Searches per hour

*based on average data in the last 12 months

Related Publications

British National Formulary

Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference

Stockley’s Drug Interactions

AHFS Drug Information

Drugs in Pregnancy & Lactation

Publication Updates

14 Aug

BNFC August 2018 update

This update contains 5 significant changes, 2 new preparations and 4 dose changes.

See details

Significant Changes:

Diabetic complications: updated guidance.
Dolutegravir (Tivicay®, Triumeq®, Juluca®): signal of increased risk of neural tube defects; do not prescribe to women seeking to become pregnant; exclude pregnancy before initiation and advise use of effective contraception [MHRA/CHM advice].
Dyslipidaemias: updated guidance on familial hypercholesterolaemia.
Oropharyngeal infections, antibacterial therapy: updated guidance on sore throat (acute).
Vaccines: updated guidance for Meningococcal group B vaccines.

Dose Changes:

Canakinumab.
Haloperidol.
Mometasone furoate [prophylaxis and treatment of seasonal allergic or perennial rhinitis—age range extended].
Vancomycin [deletion of the statement recommending the use of ideal body-weight to calculate intravenous doses in obese patients].

New Preparations:

Firazyr® [icatibant].
Zemplar® [paricalcitol].

For further details on changes in the BNFC click on https://www.medicinescomplete.com/#/content/bnfc/PHP107699?hspl=changes

10 Jul

BNFC July 2018 update

This update contains 2 significant changes, 5 new preparations and 4 dose changes.

See details

Significant changes:

Daclizumab (Zinbryta®) — marketing authorisation withdrawn for safety reasons.
Tivicay® (dolutegravir), Triumeq® (dolutegravir, abacavir, lamivudine), Juluca® (dolutegravir, rilpivirine): neural tube defects reported in infants born to women exposed to dolutegravir at the time of conception [MHRA/CHM advice].

Dose changes:

Amitriptyline hydrochloride [dose for depression deleted].
Ganciclovir.
Macrogol 3350 with potassium chloride, sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride.
Vancomycin.

New Preparations: Mylotarg® [gemtuzumab ozogamicin], Simponi® [golimumab], Spiriva Respimat® [tiotropium], Trospium chloride, Valcyte® [valganciclovir].

For further details on changes in the BNFC click on https://www.medicinescomplete.com/#/content/bnfc/PHP107699?hspl=changes

11 Jun

BNFC June 2018 update

This update contains 5 significant changes, 4 new preparations and 3 dose changes.

See details

Significant Changes:

Asthma, chronic: updated guidance on management.

Immunoglobulins: updated guidance for Varicella-zoster immunoglobulin.

Quinine: clarification of parenteral dose for the treatment of malaria [dose reduction necessary if parenteral treatment is required for more than 48 hours].

Vaccines: updated guidance for Hepatitis A Vaccine.Vaccines for travel: updated guidance on Hepatitis A.

Dose Changes: Co-codamol [doses for children aged 12 to 15 years].

Elvitegravir with cobicistat, emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide [age-range extension].

Raltegravir [dose for oral suspension—new dose for neonates and update to dose for child with body-weight 3kg; update to directions for administration for oral suspension].

New Preparations:

Hemlibra® [emicizumab], RoActemra® preparations [tocilizumab], Truvada®[emtricitabine with tenofovir disoproxil], Yervoy® [ipilimumab].

For further details on changes in the BNFC click on changes.

14 May

BNFC May 2018 Update

This update contains 5 significant changes, 7 new preparations and 6 dose changes.

See details

Significant Changes:

Cystic fibrosis: updated guidance.
Noradrenaline/norepinephrine 0.08 mg/mL (4 mg in 50 mL) solution for infusion association with potential risk of medication errors.
Skin infections: head lice eradication products: risk of serious burns if treated hair is exposed to open flames or other sources of ignition [MHRA/CHM advice].
Terbinafine: clarification of hepatic monitoring advice.
Valproic acid and sodium valproate: valproate medicines contraindicated in women and girls of childbearing potential unless conditions of Pregnancy Prevention Programme are met [MHRA/CHM advice].

Dose Changes:

Abatacept [update to dosing advice].
Levonorgestrel [update to effective duration for Levosert® intra-uterine device].
Levonorgestrel [update to timing for emergency contraception].
Lopinavir with ritonavir [update to age-range — now licensed from 14 days].
Sodium nitrite.
Sodium thiosulfate.

New Preparations: Cetraxal® [ciprofloxacin ear drops], Chenodeoxycholic acid [chenodeoxycholic acid capsules], Cubicin® [daptomycin], Harvoni® [ledipasvir with sofosbuvir], Kyleena® [levonorgestrel intrauterine device], Sovaldi® [sofosbuvir], Tasigna® [nilotinib].

For further details on changes in the BNFC click on changes

10 Apr

BNFC April 2018 update

This update contains 3 significant changes and 3 dose changes.

See details

Significant Changes:

Malaria, prophylaxis: update to country recommendations and guidance.
Mycophenolate mofetil, mycophenolic acid: updated contraception advice for male patients [MHRA/CHM advice].
Sinusitis (acute): updated guidance.

Dose Changes:

Hydroxycarbamide.
Lacosamide.
Papaveretum [clarification of dosing].

For further details on changes in the BNFC click on changes

13 Mar

BNFC March 2018 update

This update contains 6 significant changes, 1 new preparation and 3 dose changes

See details

Significant Changes:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: updated guidance on management.
Drug name confusion: reminder to be vigilant for potential errors between clobazam and clonazepam, atenolol and amlodipine, propranolol and prednisolone, risperidone and ropinirole, sulfadiazine and sulfasalazine, amlodipine and nimodipine, mercaptamine and mercaptopurine, zuclopentixol acetate and zuclopentixol decanoate [MHRA/CHM advice].
Emergency contraception: updated guidance on management.
Guidance on prescribing: updated guidance on multimorbidity and deprescribing.
Recombinant human erythropoietins (epoetin alfa, epoetin beta, epoetin zeta, darbepoetin alfa, methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin): very rare risk of severe cutaneous adverse reactions [MHRA/CHM advice].
Urinary-tract infections: updated guidance on management in children.

Dose Changes:

Adalimumab [doses for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, enthesitis-related arthritis].
Chloroquine [clarification of dose equivalence statement].
Tramadol with paracetamol [clarification of dosing].

New Preparations: Vemlidy® [tenofovir alafenamide]

For further details on changes in the BNFC click on changes

View more View all content updates