UNITAID funds to provide children with access to HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB medicines

As part of the grant, UNITAID granted around $34m to the Medicines for Malaria Venture to accelerate the adoption of injectable artesunate for treating 8 million annual cases of severe malaria occurring in under-five-year-olds in Sub-Saharan Africa.

UNITAID also granted about $17.3m to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative to make paediatric HIV treatments available as well as $16.7m to the TB Alliance to support the production of appropriate paediatric TB medicines.

In addition, the UNITAID approved four market entry grants to help point-of-care HIV diagnostic machines’ manufacturers in the final stages of development.

UNITAID executive board chairman Philippe Douste-Blazy said the investments follow a rigorous year-long process of in-depth market intelligence led by the UNITAID Secretariat, which landscaped and analyzed the market for treatments and diagnostics to inform the current round of grant-making decisions.

"I commend the Secretariat for providing the expertise to make these new projects a reality," Douste-Blazy added.

"This work will soon be translated into lives saved through the provision of better health products that these projects will ensure."