Join us on 21 April as we celebrate the official launch of the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium ADOPT program – an implementation research program that paves the way for the large-scale delivery of a child-friendly formulation to treat schistosomiasis in preschool-age children in endemic countries.

The Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium has received renewed funding from the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) for the implementation of its access program, ADOPT, to prepare for the large-scale delivery of a new child-friendly medication to treat schistosomiasis in preschool-aged children.

On 30 January 2021, communities around the world will rally together to observe the second annual World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day. As a project focused on making a meaningful contribution to NTD research, the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium is proud to show its support.

The Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium has been invited to participate in a webinar hosted by the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD) on Tuesday 10 November.  

The Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium is delighted to be participating in the upcoming WHO webinar on Innovation on 18 September. Focusing on the importance of innovation in reaching the 2021–2030 road map targets, speakers from three interactive panels will highlight why innovation is critical in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).

As part of its activities to develop a pediatric formulation for the treatment of schistosomiasis in preschool-age children, the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium has recognized the critical need for building local manufacturing and distribution capacity in endemic countries.

During the course of the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium’s journey to develop, register and provide access to a suitable pediatric formulation of the drug praziquantel, the scale of the program has expanded, and the number of partners has increased.

Farmanguinhos, the federal governmental pharmaceutical laboratory of the Fiocruz Foundation in Brazil, plays a key role within the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium, contributing vital expertise for the production and future distribution of the pediatric formulation in endemic countries.

The current treatment and monitoring strategies for schistosomiasis control programs mainly focus on school-aged children, with much less attention given to pre-school age children and adults.

While current treatment strategies have been instrumental in managing the disease burden of schistosomiasis, there are still many challenges remaining in the fight to end the spread of the disease.

Over the last few weeks, the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium has been working hard to map the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the project.

Today is World Health Day – a global health awareness day celebrated each year on 7 April under the auspices of the World Health Organisation. 

Last month, ahead of the COVID-19 crisis in Europe, the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium Access team gathered in Utrecht for its annual face-to-face meeting. 

This Thursday, 30 January, marks the inaugural World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day, an initiative created to draw attention to priority issues surrounding NTDs and the efforts being made to combat them.

In September the Levo-Praziquantel 150mg Phase 3 trial was initiated in Kenya. With the project moving towards registration, the Consortium is intensifying its engagement with key stakeholders, globally, regionally and nationally.