Foundation Praises Final Legislation for Safe and Effective Medicines and Drug Labeling for Children
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Robert Yule, 202.390.9540, ryule@pedaids.org
July 9, 2012, Washington, D.C. –The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation welcomes President Obama’s signature of legislation today reauthorizing the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children’s Act (BPCA) and the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA).
This legislation, that has already improved the health of children in the U.S. and globally makes important policy changes to improve the timeliness and quality of pediatric labeling of medications.
BPCA and PREA have been hugely successful in securing pediatric labeling for more than 400 drugs, including many of the drugs used to treat HIV. The impact of these labeling changes has been felt around the world, dramatically improving HIV treatment for infants and children. Without safe and effective treatment, half of children born HIV-positive will die by the age of two, and 80% will not live to see their fifth birthday.
This legislation will ensure that as new HIV treatments and potentially a cure come onto the market for adults that children will be prioritized and highlighted in the process; additionally provisions in the final bill highlight the importance of studying drugs for neonates, our youngest and most vulnerable.
“Today, President Obama solidified months of hard bi-partisan work to ensure that children continue to be prioritized in the drug development process,” said Foundation President and CEO Charles Lyons. “Strengthening these programs will help us build upon our past successes, and create better, safer and quicker access to life saving medications and treatments for children.”
The Foundation thanks all of the many Congressional leaders who helped craft and shepered these bills including Senators Jack Reed and Patty Murray as well as Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, Ranking Member Michael Enzi, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Congressmen Ed Markey and Mike Rogers, Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton and Ranking Member Henry Waxman for their important leadership on an issue that is critical to the lives and health of children.
For more information, visit https://pedaids.org/Press-Room/Press-Releases/2012/Child-Health-Groups-Praise-Introduction-of-BPCA-an.
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About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF):
The Foundation is a global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV and AIDS, and has reached more than 13 million women with services to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. It currently works at nearly 6,000 sites and in 15 countries to implement prevention, care, and treatment services; to further advance innovative research; and to execute strategic and targeted global advocacy activities in order to bring dramatic change to the lives of millions of women, children, and families worldwide. For more information, visit pedaids.org.
