Recent news
July 2011
Group launches new pediatric HIV/AIDS drug development program
July 19, 2011 -- The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) recently announced the launch of a new drug development program to address the treatment needs of children living with HIV/AIDS. “There are millions of children with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries, but their needs are absent from the HIV research and development agenda, and this is largely because they are poor and voiceless and do not represent a lucrative market,” said Dr. Bernard Pécoul, executive director of DNDi. “Working with partners, we hope to help fill this terrible gap and offer improved treatment options for children with HIV/AIDS.”
DNDi’s pediatric HIV program will be led by Marc Lallemant, former head of the Programs for HIV Prevention and Treatment (PHPT), a clinical research consortium of Chiang Mai University, Harvard School of Public Health, and the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement. The program’s first priority will focus on the need to develop an improved first-line protease inhibitor-based regimen for children under age three. Ideally, this new first-line pediatric HIV therapy needs to be easy to administer and better tolerated by children than current drugs, as well as heat stable, easily dispersible, and dosed once daily or less. It must also carry minimal risk for developing resistance and be suitable for infants and very young children, with minimum requirements for weight adjustments. Finally, any new formulations must be compatible with tuberculosis drugs, and, importantly, affordable. See the links below for more information.
