The Department of Pediatrics is excited to welcome Tony Garcia-Prats, MD, MSC, PhD to the Divisions of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health and Global Pediatrics. Dr. Garcia-Prats, from Stellenbosch University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the project lead of the Better Evidence and Formulations for Improved Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) Treatment for Children (BENEFIT Kids) project.
The BENFIT Kids project, funded by an $18.9 million grant agreement between Stellenbosch University and Unitaid, will develop child-friendly treatments and preventative therapy for treating MDR-TB. The goal is to increase access to quality-assured MDR-TB medicines that taste better and are appropriate for children. The project will be implemented in South Africa, India and the Philippines.
Today, 95 percent of children with MDR-TB do not receive treatment. The current treatment is not suitable for children and could cause severe side effects for those children who do receive treatment. Currently, children with MDR-TB are often treated with adult tablets. The BENEFIT projects aims to solve this problem.
“We are so delighted to have Dr. Garcia Prats join our Department of Pediatrics. These developments in the treatment of tuberculosis are an enormous advance and will be life-saving for children worldwide,” said Dr. Ellen Wald, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics.