FDA approves pediatric dosage for AIDS drug

ABBOTT PARK, Ill. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new lower-dose form of the AIDS drug Kaletra. This new dosage will be used to treat children with the virus, according to Bloomberg.com.

The pediatric dose of Kaletra will offer more dosing flexibility and contain 100 mg of lopinavir and 25 mg of ritonavir compared with the original tablet strength of 200 mg of lopinavir and 50 mg of ritonavir.

The drug has been available in a liquid form for children since 2000, but now the tablet provides more flexibility for marketing the drug in poorer areas of the world, where the manufacturer Abbott is still seeking approval of the new dosage.

Of the 2.3 million children affected with the virus worldwide, the World Health Organization estimates that 2 million of the children are in sub-Saharan Africa.

The lower-strength tablets will be available in the U.S. this month, the company said.