Lack of appropriate treatment

Lack of appropriate treatment

Many of the drugs that are conventionally used to treat adults living with HIV are not available in an appropriate form, or licensed/approved for use in children.⁵² Those that are available are often unaffordable in the areas where they are most needed. The paediatric formulations that are available can be significantly more expensive than adult equivalents and therefore an expansion of the development of cheap, fixed-dose combinations for children is greatly needed.

Children in Uganda performing a play about the benefits of ARVs

As more groups speak out about the unacceptably high cost of these formulations, some progress is being made. In December 2006, the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI), founded by former US president Bill Clinton, announced that it had negotiated reductions in paediatric drug prices made by two Indian pharmaceutical companies. Under this agreement, 19 different ARVs that can be used in children were scheduled to be made available for an average 16 cents per day. This is 45% cheaper than previously available drugs.⁵³ This agreement has probably contributed considerably in increasing child access to ART in recent years. Since CHAI and UNITAID partnered in 2006, they claim to have reduced the cost of leading child treatments by 64 percent in low income countries.⁵⁴

Even though many governments have increased efforts to distribute co-trimoxazole, financial and logistical barriers still stand in the way of its provision. Increasing the numbers of children receiving this relatively low-cost drug would save many lives.