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Supporting children to switch from liquid medicine to tablets could save thousands of pounds for the NHS and improve the patient’s quality of life, according to the results of a project conducted by Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
In a statement published on 10 April 2026, GOSH said that its endocrinology team found that 19 children aged seven years or older with congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) were able to move from liquid diazoxide to a tablet formulation, with no negative effects on their blood glucose levels.
As CHI results in high levels of insulin production, people with CHI need to take diazoxide several times a day, the statement added.
The statement also said that GOSH’s endocrinology team is now looking at supporting younger patients with CHI to make the switch.
The project forms part of the ‘GOSH green plan 2024 to 2027‘, and the hospital is looking into the potential to switch formulations for more drugs, the statement said.
One patient, Jess, aged 11 years, said that taking tablets has helped her manage her condition more independently, while the tablets do not have the unpleasant taste of the liquid.
“It has made a big difference taking medicine that doesn’t taste horrible. There were times where I didn’t want to take it because of the taste,” the patient said.
“It makes things very easy for me now, I’m able to do it myself and it doesn’t take up as much time at school or when I’m doing things I like, like climbing, it doesn’t have as much impact and that makes me happy.”
There are considerable cost savings associated with using tablets rather than liquid for some medicines, the statement said, noting that whilst diazoxide liquid costs £15.50 per 50mg, the tablet formulation costs £1.15 per 50mg, which equates to approximately £40,000 in savings per patient, per year.
It added that GOSH’s play team and psychologists developed learning materials to help patients who struggled with taking tablets, while all patients were monitored to ensure their blood glucose levels remained stable.
Kate Morgan, clinical nurse specialist in the GOSH endocrinology team, commented: “We knew the potential this trial had for savings, but the scale of the quality-of-life improvements for children and their families we are seeing is something we didn’t anticipate.
“Children are so much more than their diagnoses — they have full lives and families and their illnesses affects everyone, so it is very important we do all we can to make simple, positive changes that impact everyone for the better.”
Jasmine Shah, head of advice and support services at the National Pharmacy Association, said: “When it is appropriate, children should be supported to take solid medication rather than liquid alternatives.
“Solid medication can help ensure that children receive the full dosage prescribed. Liquid medication or crushed tablets can sometimes lead to inconsistent dosing and create practical difficulties for parents and carers. The unpleasant taste of crushed tablets or some liquid medicines can become a barrier to children completing their course of treatment.
“Solid medication is easier for a pharmacy to store and, as this study shows, saves the NHS money in the long term.”
Holly Barker, lead clinical pharmacist in paediatrics, neonates and women’s health at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Trust, described the project as a “fantastic piece of work by GOSH.”
She added: “Reading about the positive impact on Jess and her family is really inspiring for me to take on similar projects in my district general hospital. Promoting the fact that children are able to be taught to swallow tablets is important. We so often hear parents state in front of their child ‘they can’t swallow tablets’ when we have a wealth of evidence that with the right training and support they can.
“When I teach junior doctors in their hospital induction, I ask what formulations they would prescribe children in various scenarios and they always choose liquids: it’s the traditional default and assumption. Whilst liquid medicines absolutely have their place — for example to facilitate smaller or fiddly doses not achievable by solid dosage forms, for younger patients or for enteral tubes — there is a lack of awareness of alternatives and that children safely can swallow tablets.
“If the patient is a good candidate to be taught to swallow tablets, then the cost saving and positive environmental impact should be celebrated and shared with our colleagues to promote this practice more widely.”
