What We're Reading: Drug Resistance in Children Living with HIV/AIDS
Posted by
Jen Pollakusky
Washington, D.C.
April 22, 2011
This week, we were reading several articles about new research showing a troubling increase in drug resistance among children living with HIV and AIDS.
A recent study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, followed treatment results for a group of more than 1,000 HIV-infected children across Europe. These children were all put on HIV treatment after contracting the virus through mother-to-child transmission.
MSN HealthDay News reports that within five years, many children in the study became resistant to AIDS drug regimens, which usually consist of multiple drugs administered at once. They experienced what is called virological failure – meaning the drugs used to fight HIV became ineffective in reducing the amount of virus in their bodies, causing their HIV disease to progress.
(Photo: EGPAF/Mia Collis)
While drug resistance does occur in some people treated for HIV and AIDS, the study found the rate of resistance in children – approximately 12 percent – was more than double the rate of adults.
Children who develop resistance to AIDS drugs face considerable challenges. Drug resistance may make their treatment ineffective, leaving them with fewer options to treat the disease and remain healthy.
Even without the issue of resistance, children still do not have as many drug options as adults.
According to the study, “Of the 22 antiretroviral drugs currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, five are not approved for use in children and six are not available in pediatric formulation.”
MedPage Today reports that children also face difficulties of adherence, or the ability to consistently stick to a drug regimen over time. For AIDS drugs to be effective, they must be taken regularly, and this often poses a challenge for children.
According to The Guardian, issues such as adjusting treatment dosages to regulate changes in children’s growth and development also prove difficult. Formulating drugs specifically for pediatric use – and in multiple populations of children – is a necessary and often overlooked issue.
Formulations currently available to children also frequently pose difficulties in storing and administering the drugs. For example, syrup formulas are commonly used for children, but are often very bad tasting.
The study suggests that there is a large -- and very real -- challenge of drug resistance in children, particularly for those who remain on lifelong treatment for HIV.
However, the research also makes clear that there is an urgent need for more pediatric drug research and development, which could result in better treatment options for children.
This is a critical component to helping kids with HIV lead long and healthy lives.
Jen Pollakusky is a Senior Public Policy and Advocacy Officer for Africa, based in Washington, D.C.