22nd Feb 2023 13:13
(Alliance News) - ViiV Healthcare on Wednesday said it received marketing authorisation from the European Commission for Triumeq PD, a treament for children living with HIV
ViiV Healthcare is a specialist HIV company with GSK PLC as a majority shareholder, alongside shareholders Pfizer Inc and Shionogi & Co Ltd.
It said Triumeq PD is the first dispersible single tablet regimen containing dolutegravir for children living with HIV, hailing the authorisation as an "important step meet ViiV Healthcare’s commitment to bring paediatric formulations to children living with HIV".
It also lowers the minimum weight of a child who can be prescribed this medicine to 25 kilogrammes from 40 kgs.
Despite "significant" advances in HIV treatment and care, ViiV Healthcare said only 52% of children under 14 years living with HIV had access to optimised paediatric formulations of antiretrovirals in 2021.
It said the EU approval follows the US Food & Drug Administration's approval of Triumeq PD in 2022.
ViiV Healthcare said in a statement: "This provides access to age-appropriate formulations of dolutegravir for a younger population and helps to close the gap between HIV treatment options available for adults and children living with HIV."
Chief Executive Officer Deborah Waterhouse added: "At ViiV Healthcare, we are committed to pushing the boundaries to develop medicines that address the unmet needs of the estimated 1.7 million children living with HIV, bringing us closer to achieving our mission of ensuring no one living with HIV – regardless of their age - is left behind."
Shares in GSK were down 0.1% to 1,480.20 pence each in London on Wednesday afternoon, while Pfizer was down 0.1% to USD42.65 in New York pre-market trading. Shionogi shares closed down 0.2% at JPY6,105.00 in Tokyo.
By Greg Rosenvinge, Alliance News reporter
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