Prioritizing the most needed formulations to accelerate paediatric antiretroviral therapy scale-up

Purpose of review Initiatives are in place to reach super-fast targets by 2018 for paediatric patients living with HIV. However, these efforts are unlikely to be successful until better paediatric antiretrovirals and treatment strategies are available. This commentary reviews the specific features, challenges, and recent developments in paediatric HIV treatment to determine optimal regimen sequencing and use of available drug options. It also outlines a medium and long-term vision for treatment optimization as endorsed by the paediatric antiretroviral drug optimization group. Recent findings Optimizing antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical in the context of limited treatment options for children. A first-line dolutegravir-based regimen is the long-term goal for paediatric first-line ART across all age groups. Protease inhibitor-based regimens are expected to continue to play a critical role for second and third-line treatment. New efforts are urgently needed to optimize treatment for children, ensuring access to existing drugs and speeding up development of newer and better formulations moving forward. Summary Over the last few years there have been a number of key developments in paediatric ART which offer the opportunity to reconsider the way ART is optimized for children. Additional evidence is needed to ensure optimal options are available from infancy through adulthood.C.P. is supported by the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) (grant number SFRH/BPD/77448/2011, part of the EDCTP2 program supported by the European Union).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Linkage, initiation and retention of children in the antiretroviral therapy cascade

In 2012, there were an estimated 2 million children in need of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the world, but ART is still reaching fewer than 3 in 10 children in need of treatment. [1, 7] As more HIV-infected children are identified early and universal treatment is initiated in children under 5 regardless of CD4, the success of pediatric HIV programs will depend on our ability to link children into care and treatment programs, and retain them in those services over time. In this review, we summarize key individual, institutional, and systems barriers to diagnosing children with HIV, linking them to care and treatment, and reducing loss to follow-up (LTFU). We also explore how linkage and retention can be optimally measured so as to maximize the impact of available pediatric HIV care and treatment services

Monitoring the transition to new antiretroviral treatment regimens through an enhanced data system in Kenya.

BackgroundWhile the scale-up of HIV services has improved national health management information systems (HMIS), there remain challenges in using routine data to guide the introduction of optimized antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.MethodsBuilding on the recent enhancements to the HMIS in Kenya and coinciding with the introduction of a new ARV regimen, tenofovir+lamivudine+dolutegravir (TLD), we developed and implemented an enhanced data system (EDS) to improve availability of safety and efficacy data among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Kenya. Using data from one health facility, we showcase how the EDS can be used to monitor ARV transition and identify missed opportunities to transition eligible patients to optimized regimes.ResultsThe EDS was designed to create a comprehensive PLHIV database by triangulating patient-level data from the EMR, the pharmacy ARV dispensing tool (ADT) and HIV viral load (VL) databases. On a monthly basis, the database is de-identified and uploaded into a national data warehouse, with interactive dashboards. Using the EDS, we determined that of the 5,500 PLHIV ≥15 years on first-line ART at one facility, 4,233 (77%) had transitioned to optimized ARVs. Of the 1,267 still on legacy regimens, 459 (36%) were determined to be eligible and prioritized to switch.ConclusionsThis project illustrates how enhancements to the national HMIS can facilitate the use of routine patient-level data to monitor the transition to new ARVs and inform the national HIV response

Models of lifelong care for children and adolescents with chronic conditions in low-income and middle-income countries : a scoping review

Globally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) or chronic conditions account for one-third of disability-adjusted life-years among children and adolescents under the age of 20. Health systems must adapt to respond to the growing burden of NCDs among children and adolescents who are more likely to be marginalised from healthcare access and are at higher risk for poor outcomes. We undertook a review of recent literature on existing models of chronic lifelong care for children and adolescents in low-income and middle-income countries with a variety of NCDs and chronic conditions to summarise common care components, service delivery approaches, resources invested and health outcomes

Prioritising the most needed paediatric antiretroviral formulations: the PADO4 list.

Despite considerable progress in paediatric HIV treatment and timely revision of global policies recommending the use of more effective and tolerable antiretroviral regimens, optimal antiretroviral formulations for infants, children, and adolescents remain limited. The Paediatric Antiretroviral Drug Optimization group reviews medium-term and long-term priorities for antiretroviral drug development to guide industry and other stakeholders on formulations most needed for low-income and middle-income countries. The group convened in December, 2018, to assess progress since the previous meeting and update the list of priority formulations. Issues relating to drug optimisation for neonatal prophylaxis and paediatric treatment, and those relating to the investigation of novel antiretrovirals in adolescents and pregnant and lactating women were also discussed. Continued focus on identifying, prioritising, and providing access to optimal antiretroviral formulations suitable for infants, children, and adolescents is key to ensuring that global HIV treatment targets can be met

Advancing the prevention and treatment of HIV in children: priorities for research and development

Safe and effective paediatric formulations of the most promising antiretroviral drugs are crucial to advance the treatment and prevention of HIV in neonates, infants, children, and adolescents. The WHO Paediatric Drug Optimization for HIV (PADO-HIV) group brings together stakeholders and experts every 2-3 years to identify priority products and define research gaps in the development of new HIV drugs and formulations for children in low-income and middle-income countries. PADO-HIV 5 met from Sept 27 to Oct 15, 2021. The group evaluated HIV agents from known and novel drug classes, oral and parenteral long-acting formulations, and developments in broadly neutralising antibodies, and included focused sessions on neonates and new delivery technologies. A list of medium-term and long-term priorities was generated, and research questions were defined. This forward-looking analysis is intended to provide guidance to funders, drug developers, and researchers, and to accelerate access for children to the best HIV drugs and formulations