Pediatricians say it's about time. Most drugs prescribed for children have not been tested in children. Before the Food and Drug Administration initiated a pediatric program, only about 20 percent of drugs approved by the FDA were labeled for pediatric use.he drugs that have been adequately studied in children--vaccines, some antibiotics, and some cough and cold medicines--have a large market. It's also harder to carry out studies in children, says Dianne Murphy, M.D., director of the FDA's Office of Pediatric Therapeutics.