the price of a treatment for children divided by four

HIV-positive children in developing countries will have access to more adequate and above all four times cheaper care, Unitaid announced Tuesday, on the occasion of the international day to fight this scourge.

The price of this new treatment, which includes a new component truly adapted to the specific needs of children, ranges from $ 480 to $ 120 per year, after a deal with generic manufacturers Viatris and Mcleods, a spokesperson for the company said. international organization hosted by WHO.

“The long-awaited HIV-specific treatment for children will finally be available in low- and middle-income countries, thanks to an agreement between UNAIDS and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI),” Unitaid points out.

About 1.7 million children worldwide are HIV positive, but only half of them receive treatment and 100,000 die each year, the organization said.

Many children go untreated due to lack of access to appropriate and easy-to-take medicines, he points out.

The agreement with Viatris and Mcleods makes it possible to reduce the price of one of the components of the cocktail used to contain HIV to 36 dollars against the previous 400. This is dolutegravir (DTG) which is considered to be a first-line treatment drug.

It is now available in a strawberry flavor and in soluble tablet form, which is more easily accepted by children.