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A new partnership announced in Washington on Monday aims to reduce barriers to treatment for HIV-positive children in developing countries.
The collaboration, which includes drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), among others, will work to maximise the use of currently available paediatric antiretrovirals (ARVs), and accelerate the development of new treatment options for children.
"Even though the paediatric liquid formulations of our key AIDS drugs are available at a not-for-profit price in the world's poorest countries ... barriers remain in the way of increasing access to those medicines," said the GSK president of US pharmaceuticals, Chris Viehbacher, in a statement.
The current lack of kiddie formulations and fixed-dose combinations has created additional hurdles for physicians, who already face difficulties in treating children.
Without proper interventions, an estimated 50 percent of children living with AIDS are expected to die before the age of two.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions