02 December 2010
By Vishakha Sharma
Cipla has developed a new Mother–Baby pack, a kit containing anti–retoviral drugs and antibiotics which prevents mother–to–child transmission of HIV/AIDS
The Cipla Mother-baby pack
The Mother–Baby Pack contains an entire range of antiretroviral drugs and antibiotics required by an HIV–infected mother, starting from the 14th week of pregnancy, until the sixth week after delivery.
Developed in line with the latest World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for Prevention of Mother–to–Child Transmission (PMTCT) Option A, the Mother–Baby Pack is a colour–coded take–home kit, with simple graphics to help mothers identify the different sets of drugs – to be taken during pregnancy, labour and breastfeeding, covering the entire period when transmission can occur. Also, the pack contains drugs for the new born baby.
Launched in Kenya, Cameroon, Zambia and Lesotho, the Mother–Baby Pack addresses the logistical challenge of access to HIV drugs during pregnancy and the susceptible period thereafter.
Dr Y K Hamied, chairman, Cipla said, “Over 1,000 infants contract HIV every day from their mothers at the time of birth, with the highest rate reported in sub–Saharan Africa. The risk of transmission from an infected mother to her infant ranges from about 15% to 45%, with 25 to 35% of transmission occurring antenatally, 70–75% of transmission occuring during labour and delivery, and about 14% is attributable to breastfeeding.
The intrapartum period provides a crucial window of opportunity for prevention. With the launch of the Mother–Baby Pack, an HIV positive mother–to–be in even the remotest corner of the least developed nation, will now have daily access to essential PMTCT drugs during her entire term of pregnancy."
The specially designed Mother–Baby Pack will increase adherence and play a pivotal role in the total prevention of mother–to–child transmission of HIV/AIDS." he continued.
The drugs for the Mother–Baby Pack are being manufactured and packaged in Cipla’s manufacturing units in Goa and Patalganga, which are approved by WHO–Geneva, USFDA, MHRA–UK and various other regulatory bodies.
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