New Formulations & Rapid Testing Advance Child HIV & Hepatitis B Treatment in Africa
Recent awards 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. Nontobeko Kotlolo received a R500,000 prize for her work developing an orally dissolving HIV medication for children. Recognizing the daily struggle caregivers face administering liquid or pill-form antiretroviral therapy (ART) to children, Kotlolo aims to eliminate medication fear thru improved pharmaceutical formulations. The project, a collaboration between TUT, the University of Eastern Finland, and Kiara 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 way for wider distribution. Kotlolo envisions establishing a manufacturing plant to produce and distribute the tablets,addressing the critical need for accessible treatment – currently,44% of children in Sub-saharan Africa are not receiving ARTs.
Alongside Kotlolo’s success, Nondumiso Nkosi was awarded R250,000 for HepaSure Diagnostics, a rapid testing device for Hepatitis B. This palm-sized, affordable device delivers results within 30 minutes, offering a crucial diagnostic tool for areas lacking sophisticated laboratory infrastructure. Nkosi emphasized the often-overlooked severity of Hepatitis B, noting it is the second leading infectious cause of death globally, exceeding fatalities from HIV and malaria.
“People in rural and resource-limited areas deserve access to early diagnosis, and that’s what HepaSure offers,” Nkosi stated. She hopes to integrate Hepatitis B screening into routine clinic care, currently a gap in many African healthcare systems, leading to earlier treatment, fewer complications, and reduced liver cancer deaths.
Both innovations represent significant steps towards strengthening disease surveillance, improving treatment timelines, and bolstering africa’s capacity for developing its own health technologies. The success of Kotlolo and Nkosi underscores the importance of collaboration between scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare providers in addressing critical health challenges on the continent.