Project description
A child-friendly treatment for tropical diseases in Africa
Ivermectin is vital for controlling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). However, children weighing under 15 kg do not receive treatment due to a lack of safety data and appropriate formulations. A WHO report highlighted the urgent need for a paediatric-friendly ivermectin formulation for children. The EU-funded IVM-KIDS project will conduct studies to demonstrate the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of a new orodispersible formulation of ivermectin designed specifically for paediatric use. A safety study will take place across West, Central, East, and Southern Africa to evaluate its effectiveness against soil-transmitted helminthiasis. The project will work with European and African regulators to provide the necessary data to bring this treatment to market and improve access to effective therapies.
Objective
Ivermectin is a critical drug for the control and elimination of multiple neglected tropical diseases. Currently, children weighing under 15kg do not receive treatment with ivermectin due to an absence of safety data and the lack of a suitable paediatric formulation. Consequently, these children are left untreated. This results in considerable morbidity at the individual level and a reservoir of infection at the population level. These issues create a critical barrier to achieving the goals of the 2030 NTD roadmap.
In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a Paediatric Drug Optimisation (PADO) review to identify critical needs for therapeutics in children affected by NTDs. Recognising the central role of ivermectin in the control of NTDs, along with the opportunity to accelerate progress by expanding treatment to paediatric populations, this report highlighted a paediatric-friendly ivermectin formulation as as a critical priority for NTD programmes worldwide.
A novel orodispersible formulation of ivermectin provides the opportunity to address this critical gap. Our consortium brings together leading academic and drug development partners across Europe and sub-Saharan Africa to address this global priority need, with crucial experience in novel therapeutics and navigating the European and African regulatory landscapes.
Our consortium will deliver studies to demonstrate the safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of the novel, orodispersible formulation of ivermectin suitable for use in young children. This will include conducting a large safety study across West, Central, East and Southern Africa to demonstrate the efficacy of this agent for the treatment of soil transmitted helminthiasis.
We will work closely with European and African regulators to ensure that our project delivers both the scientific and regulatory data required to bring this agent to market and transform access to effective NTD treatment for for millions of children worldwide.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug discovery
- medical and health sciences health sciences tropical medicine
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmacokinetics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.1 - Health
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-JU-RIA - HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2024-01-two-stage
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
WC1E 7HT London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.