To make HIV treatment affordable for children, Laurus Labs along with partners Unitaid and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), is working to develop and commercialise second and third-line HIV treatment Darunavir boosted with Ritonavir (DRV/r) for children. At present, there is no generic, fixed-dose combination paediatric version of DRV/r.

Through this agreement, Unitaid and CHAI are working with the Laurus Labs to finally address this critical need and ensure CLHIV (Children Living with HIV/AIDS) have access to high-quality second and third-line HIV treatment.

Unitaid Executive Director Dr. Philippe Duneton said, “This agreement is a welcome step towards having a long-awaited pediatric formulation of DRV/r available, as we strive to achieve the global goal of 90% of people living with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy

DRV/r is a best-in-class protease inhibitor that has been shown to effectively treat HIV in children. The WHO-led Pediatric Antiretroviral DrugOptimization (PADO) group, which establishes and reviews priorities for drug development for pediatric HIV treatment and prevention, lists pediatric DRV/r 120/20mg as a priority formulation to provide robust treatment for second and third-line use after failure on DTGbased regimens. Despite being listed as a PADO priority since 2013, a pediatric version of DRV/r has not yet been developed.

The product development collaboration between Unitaid, CHAI, and Laurus Labs was spearheaded through Unitaid’s investment in CHAI since 2016. The initiative has provided Laurus with a financial incentive for a portion of its development and commercialisation costs. CHAI will also provide technical and regulatory support to enable accelerated generic development.

Commenting on the collaboration in the development of the new second line and third line pediatric treatment, Dr. Satyanarayana Chava, Founder & CEO, Laurus Labs, said, “we are excited about this innovative mechanism to accelerate the availability of pDRV/r regimen for children living with HIV. The collaboration between Laurus Labs, CHAI, and Unitaid can positively impact over 100,000 CLHIVs and help them in leading a better life especially in their formative years.”