02001nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001653001100042653002500053653001400078653002000092653003900112100001400151700001300165245007000178856007600248300000700324490000600331520144400337022001401781       2017                            d10aAfrica10aSchool-aged children10aTreatment10aschistosomiasis10aNeglected tropical diseases (NTDs)1 aMduluza T1 aMutapi F00aPutting the treatment of paediatric schistosomiasis into context.  uhttps://idpjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40249-017-0300-8  a850 v63 a<p>Despite increased international efforts to control schistosomiasis using preventive chemotherapy, several challenges still exist in reaching the target populations. Until recently, preschool-aged children had been excluded from the recommended target population for mass drug administration, i.e. primary school children aged 6-15 years. Our studies and those of others provided the evidence base for the need to treat preschool-aged children that led to recommendations by the World Health Organization to include preschool-aged children in treatment programmes in 2010. The major challenge now lies in the unavailability of a child-size formulation of the appropriate anthelmintic drug, praziquantel.The currently available formulation of praziquantel presents several problems. First, it is a large tablet, making it difficult for young children and infants to swallow it and thus requires its breaking/crushing to allow for safe uptake. Second, it is bitter so it is often mixed with a sweetener to make it palatable for young children. Third, the current formulation of 600&nbsp;mg does not allow for flexible dose adjustments for this age group. Thus, there is a need to formulate a child-appropriate praziquantel tablet.This paper discusses the target product profile for paediatric praziquantel, as well as knowledge gaps pertinent to the successful control of schistosome infection and disease in preschool-aged children.</p>
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