Community pharmacists are regularly dispensing drugs to children knowing they are not approved for this use, it has been reported.

A study of pharmacists found that 40 per cent reported dispensing so-called "off-label" drugs to children within the previous month.

The drugs are known as off-label because there is no product licence for using them on children. This may mean they have not been tested with children - and there may not be recommended doses for young patients.

The study, in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, found that a third of pharmacists reported they would not tell parents that a drug was off-label.

Just 22 per cent said they would not report back to the GP that the prescription was off-label.

Some 500 pharmacists took part in the research conducted at Aberdeen University, Scotland.

Researcher Dr James McLay said: "What did concern us was that only 40 per cent of pharmacists said they had dispensed off-label medicines to children in the month before the survey.

"Having reviewed primary care prescribing levels, this 40 per cent figure was lower than expected and leads us to conclude that many pharmacists may not realise that they are dispensing off-label.

"And a third said they didn’t feel they had a responsibility to inform parents of off-label prescribing, possibly because this could suggest criticism of the family doctor who prescribed the drug."

The research also raised concerns about the response of pharmacists when asked to sell over-the-counter medicines such as antihistamines and pain-killers for use with children. Very few resorted to specialist guidelines - instead relying on the manufacturers information sheet in the pack.

Dr McLay added: "While all licensed medicines used to treat children have been rigorously tested before their general use, not all are specifically licensed for use by children.

"Until this situation is rectified, community pharmacists need to be competent and confident in recognising and dealing with drugs that are prescribed and dispensed outside their licensed use.

"Community pharmacists in the UK are responsible for overseeing the supply of prescription and over-the-counter medicine for use by children and ensuring that any off-label drugs are prescribed and dispensed appropriately."