HIV and the Church


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new formulation of lopinavir and ritonavir for children, particularly those under the age of three years. The new formulation will be utilized globally with the hopes of providing greater access of life saving antiretrovirals (ARV) to children living with HIV in developing nations.

 

The mixture of lopinavir and ritonavir is a pleasant tasting, heat soluble formula that can be mixed with food enabling children to more easily and readily consume their medication. The new formula will be produced by CIPLA, a generic medication manufacturer in India.                                    

 

Although the number of new infections among children has decreased more over the past four years than in the entire preceding decade, HIV-related deaths among children ages 0-14, have seen only a slow decline globally. This is largely due in part to a lower degree of access to HIV treatment for children in need (32%), compared to adults (41%).

 

UNICEF and UNAIDS believe this new formula will greatly improve access to ARVs for children and is a step in the right direction towards saving the lives of a greater number of HIV-positive children.

 

If you’ve ever tried to administer a poor tasting medication to a child, or get them to eat food they find unpleasant, you can easily understand the importance of this development. ARVs, which must be taken everyday without fail, can be a daily challenge for parents of an HIV-positive child and an endless ordeal for the child. In edition to relieving some of the stress involved in a child’s medication routine, this new formula helps to ensure missed or partial doses due to spitting out or spitting up poor tasting medication, does not occur. 



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