Child-friendly medicines

No child should die of TB. TB Alliance and partners have developed medicines to improve treatment and child survival from TB.

More than a million treatment courses have been ordered by 123 countries.

Each year, more than one million children get sick with TB and about 205,000 needlessly die. That's more than 550 children dying each and every day.

TB Alliance and partners have made huge strides in addressing this problem. In 2016, TB Alliance introduced new TB cures for children in the correct dose and child-friendly forms. These child-friendly TB treatments have now been ordered by 123 countries, which comprise more than 75% of the estimated global childhood TB burden. These new treatments are in child-appropriate doses and formulations, remedying problems that previously plagued the treatment of pediatric TB.

For more information about the products from Macleods, please contact the following people: Ms. Rohini Karde or Mr.Vipul Patil.

Impact and Progress of New TB Medicines for Children:

  • More than one million treatment courses have been ordered.
  • 123 countries and counting have adopted the improved medicines. These countries account for more than 75% of the global pediatric TB burden.
  • The improved medicines are prequalified by the World Health Organization.
  • TB Alliance research helped better define the pediatric TB market, reinvigorating partner involvement in the field.
  • Parents and caregivers no longer need to crush pills intended for adults to approximate the proper dose for a child.

    Watch the video to learn about our child-friendly TB treatments.

    Simple Treatments, Designed for Children

    Quickly dispersible in liquid. Easy for parents to give and for children of all ages to take.

    Improved medicines for children with drug-sensitive TB means tablets in the correct fixed dose combinations of the three most commonly used anti-TB drugs, rifampicin + isoniazid + pyrazinamide, used for the initial two months of treatment, followed by four months of rifampicin + isoniazid. These products offer significant advantages over previous drugs including:

    • Fixed dose combinations in the correct, WHO-recommended dose – no need for crushing or chopping
    • Quickly dispersible in liquid – Easy to for parents to give and for children of all ages to take
    • Palatable fruit flavors
    • Expected to improve treatment adherence and outcomes
    1. 1

      The Right Medicines

      The right medicines in the right doses will improve adherence and save more lives. This is an important step in improving treatment and child survival from TB, and slowing the spread of drug-resistant TB.

    2. 2

      Simple Medicines

      Simple TB medicines for children eases the TB burden on healthcare systems. Simpler TB medicines for children can allow healthcare systems to scale up treatment. Fewer pills will simplify ordering and storage.

    3. 3

      Child-Friendly Medicines

      Child-friendly medicines improve the daily lives of children and their families struggling with TB. Six months is a long time to take medicine. But the availability of treatment that tastes good and is simple to provide will ease the daily struggles of children, parents, and caregivers alike.

     

    Project Partners

    TB Alliance has collaborated with a network of technical partners to ensure that the new formulations reach every child in need. In addition to country partnerships, our partners on this project include the World Health Organization, MSH/SIAPS, UNICEF, the Stop TB Partnership's Global Drug Facility, Childhood and Adolescent TB Working Group, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Desmond Tutu TB Centre, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), KNCV, The Union and Baylor College of Medicine, among others.

     

    This initiative received support from Unitaid, the major funder, as well as USAID, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Irish Aid, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS).

    Resources

    Visit our Pediatric TB Resource Center for more information about the childhood TB burden and improved cures for children. Correctly-dosed medicines are now available. Children, their families, communities, and countries must use their voices to advocate for improved diagnosis and care of children with TB.

    Learn more

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    Join the Campaign

    All too often, people with TB remain sick, suffering, and left in the shadows. It's time to change that.

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