New children’s TB drug launched in Kenya

A drug specially designed to treat children suffering from tuberculosis has just been launched in Kenya.

Before the creation of this new drug, children had been treated for tuberculosis with an adult pill. According to the worldwide TB Alliance, the pill had to be split to get the correct dosage for a child. The children’s TB pill consists of three different pills, which are used to treat the condition. These are all at the correct dosage, and the pill has a fruit flavouring to make it more palatable for children.

Tuberculosis is the world’s most deadly disease, with around one million children worldwide contracting it each year. According to statistics released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2014 alone, 140,000 children died from tuberculosis.

Kenya is the first country to make the drug nationally available and it is expected that more countries will follow suit over the next three years. Experts claim that the treatment will be more successful than previous drugs because the correct dosage measure is more accurate and the pill does not have a bitter taste. Indeed, the new drug is dissolvable and will be easier to give to children daily for the six months it takes for the treatment to run its course.

Dr Cherise Scott of the TB Alliance said that “The new child-friendly pill will boost survival” and that more than twenty countries have expressed an interest in manufacturing the drug.