SCI joins the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium

The Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI) are proud to have joined forces with the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium.

The Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI) will assist the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium to develop and bring to market a new praziquantel formulation for children under 6 years of age.

There are currently 25 million pre-school age children (under 5 years of age) suffering from schistosomiasis and this age group currently lacks a suitable treatment.

The Consortium, established in July 2012, is a non-for-profit partnership that aims to reduce the global burden of schistosomiasis by addressing the medical need of infected pre-school age children. Its mission is to develop, register and provide access to a suitable formulation of the drug praziquantel for this age group. The paediatric formulation is designed to be smaller, exhibit an improved palatability and be orally dispersible compared to the current commercial formulation.

SCI, with its extensive expertise working with Ministries of Health across sub-Saharan Africa for the control and potential elimination of schistosomiasis, will support the Consortium in preparing and implementing the Access and Delivery plan of the new paediatric formulation in endemic countries.

SCI’s founder, Prof Alan Fenwick, says, ‘We have been in contact with the Consortium for many years, and we look forward to this collaboration. We see the paediatric praziquantel formulation as a breakthrough in the battle against schistosomiasis in infected young children, a group lacking suitable treatment until now.’

SCI, with its expertise in implementation, will be adding to the existing scientific and regulatory proficiency provided by the other six partners of the Consortium. Please click here to read more about the other partners.

A phase II clinical trial is currently being conducted in Ivory Coast, testing the new formulation in schistosome-infected pre-school age children to identify the optimal dose. Read more about the clinical trial here.

Please click here to read the full press release.