Institute unveils ARVs for children living with HIV
What you need to know:
- The modification will enable children to swallow the ARVs smoothly. This follows reports that most of them could not swallow them because of their shape and bitterness.
Morogoro. The Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) researchers have developed modified Antiretroviral Drugs (ARVs) for children.
The modification will enable children to swallow the ARVs smoothly. This follows reports that most of them could not swallow them because of their shape and bitterness.
The IHI research officer, Dr Ezekiel Luoga, told The Citizen that this follows a thorough research, which came up with the new design, which will make swallowing easy for the children living with HIV.
He said the research for the transformation was done for two years and completed in May this year, and tested among 74 children in Kilombero District.
“The new pills are manufactured in India and can be chewed in food, and research results show that it they have been accepted by children with no side effects reported,” he said.
He said the research was conducted at Amana Hospital in Dar es Salaam as well as Kenya and Uganda.
The IHI director, Dr Honarat Masanja, said the ARVs given to children are the same, but what was changed was the shape and system from pills and syrup and now they are in a granular form. The head of clinic responsible for people living with HIV/Aids at St Francis Hospital, Dr George Sekalengo, said the main challenge they were facing was dropouts.
