Do you know of anyone doing research on medications for young children? My 3 year old is finally doing well with viral at 7070 and cd4 at 1318 (viral load was in hundreds of millions at birth thanks to his biologic mother). However, he is taking two new medications that are contraindicated simply because there is nothing else for him to take (resistant to most everything else). Do you know whom I can write/pester/beg for more research to be done to help out youngest patients?

Hello,

Clinical trials in HIV-positive infants and children have certainly lagged behind that of adults. There are some obvious reasons for this, including the sheer logistical difficulties associated with trying to enroll a statistically significant number of HIV-infected infants or youngsters into a trial. (Remember, there are far fewer HIV-positive infants and kids.) I don't believe writing, pestering or begging for more research to be done will help. Those of us who have treated HIV-positive infants and children, as well as adults, clearly recognize the problem. Efforts are underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of FDA-approved HIV drugs for use in infants and children. Hopefully your three-year-old is also enrolled in some type of clinical trial as well so that others hopefully can benefit from his experience. Pediatric HIV specialists should be organizing the recruitment for clinical trials as well as collecting observational data form youngsters being treated with medications not yet fully approved for pediatric use. Talk to your son's pediatric HIV specialist. He should be knowledgeable about the range of pediatric clinical trials ongoing in your area.

Good luck.

Dr. Bob