Children with TB getting better treatment: rapid roll out of the new child-friendly medicines in 27 countries
The new child-friendly pediatric TB formulations are being successfully rolled out globally in 27 countries by the Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility.
5 October 2016 – Geneva, Switzerland – The new
child-friendly pediatric formulations developed by TB Alliance,
with funding from UNITAID and other partners, are being
successfully rolled out globally in 27 countries by Stop TB
Partnership’s Global Drug Facility (GDF).
TB Alliance recently
announced
the success of the Kenya programme in rolling out new
formulations. In addition to Kenya, GDF is mobilizing its
resources to get additional countries on board. Papua New Guinea
was the first to receive a GDF shipment in June 2016 with
Kiribati and Tuvalu following closely behind.
An additional 24 countries that GDF supplies to – which
include Pakistan, Philippines, Myanmar and India – are
awaiting delivery after orders of a total value of USD 3.25
million for 221,000 children were placed with GDF. The drugs
have primarily been funded by the government budgets, Global
Fund, Global Affairs Canada and USAID.
Children are expected to be treated with these new
formulations that is a combination of three drugs, come in the
correct doses for children, are fruit-flavored and dissolve in
water, making them easier for children to take. Previously,
caregivers had to cut or crush multiple, bitter-tasting pills to
give children the correct dose every day for six months,
contributing to treatment failure and death.
GDF is offering these fixed dose combinations at the best
possible prices:
Rifampicin 75 mg + Isoniazid 50 mg + Pyrazinamide 150 mg (3 FDC)
for intensive phase at USD 2.95 per package of 84
tablets
Rifampicin 75 mg + Isoniazid 50 mg (2 FDC) for continuation
phase USD 2.41 per package of 84 tablets
For easy calculation, a full six-month course of the new
pediatric formulations for a child weighing between 4 - 24 kg is
USD 21 (range between USD 5 - USD 21).
GDF has been providing technical assistance to National TB
programmes to support the switch to new pediatric formulations
in the area of quantification, supply and
transition planning.
Given this low price, all children worldwide must now be
diagnosed and treated and have access to effective medicines. No
child should die of TB today.
According to data from WHO, an estimated one million children
had TB and 150,000 children died from TB, in 2014.
The child-friendly medicines are the first products to
meet WHO’s 2010 guidelines for childhood TB treatment and
will go a long way towards saving thousands of children’s
lives if implemented.
Source:
Stop TB Partnership
