Quadrimune
Strawberry-flavored H.I.V. drugs for babies offered at $1 a day
About 80,000 babies and toddlers die of AIDS each year, mostly in Africa, in part because their medicines come in hard pills or bitter syrups that are very difficult for small children to swallow or keep down. The Indian generic drug manufacturer Cipla have announced a new, more palatable pediatric formulation. The new drug, called Quadrimune, comes in strawberry-flavored granules the size of grains of sugar that can be mixed with milk or sprinkled on baby cereal. Experts said it could save the lives of thousands of children each year. Quadrimune contains four H.I.V. drugs: ritonavir, lopinavir, abacavir and lamivudine. The granules are coated first in a polymer that doesn’t melt until it reaches the stomach, and then with sweet, fruity flavoring. Quadrimune is still under review by the Food and Drug Administration.