Antiretroviral Drug Formulations for Treatment of Children Exposed to HIV/AIDS

Children can be infected with HIV through perinatal transmission: in utero, during childbirth and through breast feeding. Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) is not common in the developed world since, the virus is suppressed in the mother through Highly Active Anti Retroviral Therapy (HAART). But, transmission is prevalent in developing countries due to lack of access to medical care and the absence of effective antiretroviral drugs for pregnant women.

According to UNAIDS in 2007, it was estimated that 2.1 million children under age 15 were living with HIV. Current treatment protocols and formulations are designed for adult physiologies not for children. Accordingly, there is a need for practical and potent formulations, treatment protocols, and therapies to prevent MTCT of HIV and to treat children with HIV/AIDS.

The Duquesne University formulations use novel combinations of existing ARV drugs (zidovudine, lamivudine, nevirapine) and non-active ingredient matrices to provide a dose regime suited to children.

These formulations have been filed as PCT/US2007/031285 and are available for licensing from the Office of Research at Duquesne University

File Number: PCT/US2009/031285 

Web site: http://www.research.duq.edu/

Disease: Infectious Diseases