Parents could soon find simpler ways of administering ARVs to children aged 10 years and below. Scientists have began developing the drug that can be soluble in porridge and other liquids. This is planned to encourage good adherence and viral load suppression. Dr Joshua Musinguzi, the head of the HIV/Aids programme in the Ministry of […]
Parents could soon find simpler ways of administering ARVs to children aged 10 years and below.
Scientists have began developing the drug that can be soluble in porridge and other liquids.
This is planned to encourage good adherence and viral load suppression.
Dr Joshua Musinguzi, the head of the HIV/Aids programme in the Ministry of Health, says the new formulations will be made in form of grains that can be crashed into powder for easier swallowing compared to the pellets, which are bigger.
Currently, children born with HIV are subjected to ARVs in form of a bitter syrup after which they are introduced to pellets at three months.
The children are then switched to tablets when they make 10 years and above, making adherence very hard, leading to poor viral load suppression.
The new formulation is also expected in a fixed dose combination of four drugs unlike the pellets, which are in a combination of only two.
Statistics by the Ministry of Health indicate that a total of 93,679 children below 14 years are currently living with HIV/Aids in Uganda.
Noah Nyabwana is a part-time journalist with a background in Electrical Engineering and a passion for photography.
