This is good news for parents and children living with HIV in developing countries. UNITAID, the international drug purchasing organization, signed an agreement on December 1, World AIDS Day.
A price divided by four
It is an agreement between several American pharmaceutical companies, including Viatris and Mcleods, UNITAID and CHAI (Clinton Health Access Initiative), bringing the annual cost of pediatric treatment to less than $ 120 per child compared to nearly $ 500. . In addition, it is a global economy ” in the range of $ 60 to $ 260 million over five years “. This reduction is possible thanks to a new formulation of the dolutegravir (DTG) tablet. The 10 milligram drug will now be soluble, with a strawberry taste. It will therefore be more suitable and easier to take for children. This new pediatric tablet will prevent thousands of premature deaths each year, as reported by UNITAID.
Only half of children receive treatment
According to the organization, 1.7 million children worldwide are HIV positive and 100,000 die each year. According to the organization’s spokesperson, Hervé Verhoosel, “ Many children go untreated due to lack of access to easy-to-take and appropriate medicines “. Until then, the drug DTG intended for children under 20 kilograms was not soluble. In addition, its bitter taste made it difficult for very young people to take it. Note that the DTG was recommended in July 2019 by the WHO, for all populations, including pregnant women or women of childbearing age as well as children. Gold, ” many children with HIV respond poorly to treatment because they are taking the wrong dose or bitter-tasting antiretroviral drugs “. The new formula and its price are therefore major advantages for these young patients.
The drug first available in Africa
The aim is to make the new treatment, distributed primarily in six African countries, rapidly accessible during the first half of 2020: Benin, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe. As UNITAID Director Philippe Duneton points out, “ Children in low- and middle-income countries often wait years for access to the same medicines as adults, which affects their quality of life, sometimes leading to preventable deaths. “. Currently, 26 million people worldwide are on antiviral treatment, or 68% of people living with HIV. As Dr Meg Doherty, Director of Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programs at WHO, says, “ It’s time to fight the poor results of HIV treatment in children “.
