Nonprofit GARDP, Novartis company partner to accelerate drug treatment for children

Two institutions are taking up the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) call for more affordable, improved and adapted antibiotic formulations for children in low and middle-income countries, with an agreement focused on enhancing generic antibiotics and access.

The participants are the nonprofit Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) and Novartis. They seek especially the creation of heat-stable, pediatric creations that can counter bacterial infections. Treatment options for these youngest victims can often be limited, and antimicrobial resistance is making things worse. Around 214,000 newborns alone die each year due to drug-resistant infections, according to some estimates.

“Children are not small adults and require treatments that are adapted in terms of regimen, dose, and formulation,” GARDP Director Manica Balasegaram said. “However, challenges around conducting clinical trials in children have led to lack of evidence-based treatments available for them. And lack of evidence hinders the development of treatment guidelines for their care. This partnership not only has the potential to reduce the number of preventable deaths in children but also to help tackle AMR through addressing the over-use and misuse of antibiotics.”

Medicines by themselves, according to Harald Nusser, global head of Novartis Social Business, are not enough. One can know what medicines they need, but not be able to afford them.

“A very important part of our role will, therefore, be to work with partners on the ground to ensure these medicines reach patients, and in particular those living in remote and underserved areas,” Nusser said.