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HIV medication will soon be available in a strawberry-flavored, dissolvable tablet for kids

Canela López   

HIV medication will soon be available in a strawberry-flavored, dissolvable tablet for kids
  • Dolutegravir, an HIV medication, will soon be sold in an easily dissolved, strawberry-flavored tablet for children.
  • Oftentimes, $4 can be a large factor in determining how often a child takes their HIV medication and how effective the treatment is.

A children's form of HIV medication that could be easier to take will soon be available as part of a partnership between the Clinton Health Access Initiative and several pharmaceutical companies.

$4, a leading HIV medication, will go on sale as a strawberry-flavored dissolvable tablet for $36 a year. Typically coming in a difficult-to-swallow pill form, the medication will now be far easier for the $4 to use.

The tablet can be used for babies one-month-old and older, so other HIV medication is still necessary for newborns.

Oftentimes, HIV medications taste unpleasant, $4 and how often they are able to take their medicine.

"This is truly an advance," said $4, chief of pediatrics for $4, told $4. "The products currently available for pediatric treatment are less than optimal. There have been a few new formulations, but they haven't been as successful as anticipated."

The World Health Organization also recently approved a silicone vaginal ring to reduce the spread of HIV, meaning the ring $4

The dapivirine ring can be worn by people with vaginas by inserting it into the vaginal canal every month, as it slowly releases dapivirine, an anti-viral medication.

It is discreet, so it can be worn during intercourse with a partner, which can help circumnavigate the stigma that can come with HIV prevention.

"Our aim is to make the ring available first in sub-Saharan Africa, where women face persistently high HIV risk," Dr. Zeda F. Rosenberg, founder and chief executive officer of International Partnership for Microbicides, $4

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