New Formulations & Rapid Testing Advance Child HIV & Hepatitis B Treatment in Africa
Recent โawards have highlighted innovative approaches to tackling HIV adn Hepatitis B in Africa, with a focus on improving access to treatment and diagnostics, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Dr.โ Nontobeko Kotlolo received a R500,000โข prize โfor her work developing an orally dissolving HIV medication for children. Recognizing the dailyโ struggle caregiversโ face administering liquid or pill-form antiretroviral โtherapyโข (ART)โฃ to children, Kotlolo โaims โto โคeliminate medication fear thru improved pharmaceutical formulations. The project, aโฃ collaboration between TUT, the University of Eastern Finland, and Kiaraโฃ Health, focuses on creating a child-friendly ARV tablet. The prize money will be used to finalize manufacturing processes, including quality testing, stability studies, and clinical validation, ultimately paving the wayโ for wider distribution. Kotlolo envisions establishing a manufacturing plant to produce and distribute the tablets,addressing the critical need for accessible treatment – โฃcurrently,44% of children in Sub-saharan Africa are not receiving ARTs.
Alongside Kotlolo’sโ success, Nondumiso Nkosi was awarded R250,000 for HepaSureโฃ Diagnostics, a rapidโ testingโ device for Hepatitis B. This palm-sized,โฃ affordable device delivers results within 30 โminutes, offering a crucial โคdiagnosticโข tool โfor areas lacking sophisticated laboratory infrastructure. Nkosi emphasized the often-overlooked severity of โฃHepatitis B, noting it is the second leading infectious cause of death globally, โexceeding fatalities from HIV and malaria.
“People in rural and resource-limited โขareasโ deserve access to early diagnosis, and that’s what HepaSure offers,” Nkosi stated. She hopes โto integrate โขHepatitis B screening into routine clinic care, currently a gap in โขmany African healthcare systems, leading to earlier treatment, โคfewerโ complications, and reduced liver cancer โdeaths.
Both innovations represent โsignificant stepsโ towards strengtheningโฃ disease surveillance, improving treatment timelines, and bolstering africa’s capacity for developing its own health technologies. The โsuccessโ of Kotlolo and Nkosi underscoresโค the importance of collaboration between scientists, pharmaceutical โcompanies, and healthcare providers in addressing critical health challenges onโ the continent.