Generic HIV drug for babies distributed in Africa, according to UNITAID

By Reuters staff

DUBAI – Humanitarian agencies distributed a strawberry-flavored tablet to children living with it HIV in six African countries, the first generic pediatric release from a key global health antiretroviral agency UNITAID said Sunday.

UNITAID and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) the funding provided 100,000 packs of the dolutegravir formulation to Nigeria, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Benin, UNITHervé Verhoosel spokesman said in a statement to Reuters.

Some 1.8 million children around the world live with HIV, but only half receive treatment, often difficult to administer due to the bitter taste or poorly dosed when crushing adult pills. Some 100,000 children die from AIDS annually.

“With the recent delivery of the formulation to these first 6 countries, this project is now a reality,” said Verhoosel, visiting the United Arab Emirates, of the initiative first announced last December.

He said the purchase is designed to revive demand and that major donors have “moved quickly to sustainable purchases, which will enable nationwide scale-up and widespread access to all eligible children at an unprecedented rate.”

The first line HIV Treatment is recommended by the World Health Organization as young as four weeks and 3 kilos (6.6 pounds), but it was out of reach for babies due to the lack of proper formulations.

UNITAID and CHAI had entered into a price agreement with generic drug manufacturers Viatris and Macleods for the pediatric dispersible formulation of dolutegravir.

The estimated cost of the combination therapy will now be around $ 120 for the annual treatment of a child, compared to $ 480 currently, making it a “game changer” for poorer countries. UNITAID mentionned.

Verhoosel said a partnership with Medicines Patent Pool has enabled voluntary licensing agreements in 121 countries.