There are many toddlers who have been found to be born or infected with HIV every year. There are around 80,000 children as per the health officials’ data who are infected with HIV. Many of the kids lose their lives or are left untreated due to the difficulty in administering drugs. The toddlers find swallowing of the pills or weird tasting syrups very difficult. Thus, the researchers from Cipla have thought of making medication tastier for the kids so that they consume it without any tantrums. The company has introduced a new anti-HIV drug, Quadrimune, which are strawberry-flavored granules that are much easier to swallow. The drug is also available in the form of capsules and the parents can make it consumable for the kids by sprinkling its contents on soft foods or drinks.
The medicine is a combination of 4 suggested antiretroviral drugs and it does not even require refrigeration. The drug can prove beneficial in countries like Africa where refrigeration and pricey drugs are the biggest issues. The warm temperatures and electricity shortages have made treatment and drug durability in those countries all the more difficult. The drug is expected to cost less than $1 per day for a 20–30 Pounds child and 50 cents/day for younger children. The cost might still be high for certain families. The easy-to-swallow design is definitely going to help save more lives. The FDA is investigating Quadrimune and the drug is likely to be approved by 2020. Though the drug is not that important for the US wherein the cases of HIV are less but its distribution after the approval is going to widen. This cure for HIV can help halt the spread of the virus.
Likewise, Professor Jerome Estaquier headed the international team from Universite Laval’s Faculty of Medicine and the CHU de Quebec-Universite Laval Research Center has found the location where HIV hides during antiretroviral treatment. The virus has been found to hide in the lymph nodes in the gut and spleen. It is the place from where the virus relaunches itself after the completion of the treatment. The two types of cells belonging to the CD4 T lymphocytes family is found to serve as reservoirs replication sites for the virus. The understanding of the viruses’ escape tactics can help improve treatments.
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