Journalists at NPF’s J2J training covered the announcement of a new breakthrough drug to treat children with tuberculosis. The new strawberry-flavored dissolvable medicine makes the treatment more accurate and palatable to TB’s youngest victims.
One million children get TB every year; 140,000 die. In the past, parents and health professionals were often forced to try to adapt adult medication for kids.
Imagine trying to crush a tablet, figure out approximately the level of dosage, mix it into food, and then coax a child to eat it, said Cherise P. Scott, director of pediatric programs at TB Alliance, which was one of the partners for the new children’s medicine. The new drug is a formulation of existing TB medicines.
An effective vaccine is 10-20 years off, she said.
This program is funded by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Lilly MDR-TB Project and TB Alliance. NPF is solely responsible for the content.