Brussels, 15/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - At a conference at the end of January of around 160 scientists, paediatricians and national experts on the topic of clinical trials on children, German Social Democrat Peter Liese MEP, said it was important to improve drugs research in order to understand how they affected children. The effects of a dug vary enormously and it is not possible to simply cut the adult's dosage in line with a child's age or weight, explained the CDU MEP who was chairing the conference organised by the European Forum for Good Clinical Practice and the Confédération européenne des Spécialistes européens en Pédiatrie. Mr Liese is himself a doctor. He wanted the issue to be included as a priority for the 6th Framework Research Programme. A European Commission representative announced that a proposal would probably be adopted before the summer setting out incentive scheme for carrying out clinical trials on children. The proposal might take the same form as the regulation on orphan drugs. It would cover all drugs and might foresee intervention by the EMEA and longer duration of data protection in order to encourage industry to get involved on a voluntary basis.