Antiretroviral treatment (ART) optimization is a key pillar in the AIDS Free agenda to reach the goal of ensuring 95% of all infants and children have access to lifesaving treatment. This policy brief outlines key considerations to facilitate effective transition to more clinically appropriate regimens as optimal ARV medicines and dosage forms become available.

The WHO 2021 guideline promotes the use of optimal treatment regimens in all populations. Though new, more effective and better tolerated options with a higher genetic barrier to resistance are now available for adults, optimized treatment options for children lag significantly behind. This sixth edition of the Optimal Formulary and Limited-use List supports the transition to optimal WHO-recommended regimens for infants and children, while giving due consideration to the rapidly evolving treatment landscape and the risks inherent in the uncertain timelines for paediatric drug development.

These consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, testing, treatment, service delivery and monitoring bring together existing and new clinical and programmatic recommendations across different ages, populations and settings, bringing together all relevant WHO guidance on HIV produced since 2016. It serves as an update to the previous edition of the consolidated guidelines on HIV. These guidelines continue to be structured along the continuum of HIV care. Information on new combination prevention approaches, HIV testing, ARV regimens and treatment monitoring are included. There is a new chapter on advanced HIV disease that integrates updated guidance on the management of important HIV comorbidities, including cryptococcal disease, histoplasmosis and tuberculosis. The chapter on general HIV care, contains a new section on palliative care and pain management, and up to date information on treatment of several neglected tropical diseases, such as visceral leishmaniasis and Buruli ulcer. New recommendations for screening and treating of cervical pre-cancer lesions in women living with HIV are also addressed in this chapter. Guidance on service delivery was expanded to help the implementation and strengthening the HIV care cascade. Importantly, this guidance emphasizes the need for differentiated approaches to care for people who are established on ART, such as reduced frequency of clinic visits, use of multi-month drug dispensing and implementation of community ART distribution. The adoption of these efficiencies is essential to improve the quality of care of people receiving treatment and reduce the burden on health facilities, particularly in resource limited settings.

This report presents the recommendations of the WHO Expert Committee responsible for updating the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. The first part contains a progress report on the new procedures for updating the Model List and the development of the WHO Essential Medicines Library. It continues with a section on changes made in revising the Model List followed by a review of some sections such as hypertensive medicines and fast track procedures for deleting items. Annexes include the 13th version of the Model List and items on the list sorted according to their 5-level Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification codes.

Hepatitis B and C cause most cases of hepatitis in the United States and the world. The two diseases account for about a million deaths a year and 78 percent of world's hepatocellular carcinoma and more than half of all fatal cirrhosis. In 2013 viral hepatitis, of which hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are the most common types, surpassed HIV and AIDS to become the seventh leading cause of death worldwide. The world now has the tools to prevent hepatitis B and cure hepatitis C. Perfect vaccination could eradicate HBV, but it would take two generations at least. In the meantime, there is no cure for the millions of people already infected. Conversely, there is no vaccine for HCV, but new direct-acting antivirals can cure 95 percent of chronic infections, though these drugs are unlikely to reach all chronically-infected people anytime soon. This report, the second of two, builds off the conclusions of the first report and outlines a strategy for hepatitis reduction over time and specific actions to achieve them.

This volume provides readers with the most updated scientific information on the efficacy and safety of medicines for children and adolescents. The book enriches the understanding of pediatric pharmacotherapy for health professionals, regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical companies and learned societies. It contains important information on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of drugs. It summarizes the latest investigations on the effects of pharmacological treatments in relation to and dependent on age, gender, fat mass and disease status. Therefore and importantly, this volume reviews the latest data on how pharmacotherapy has to be adjusted and personalized in regards to stages of development and during the pediatric lifespan from neonate through adolescence. In addition, the topic of rare diseases and special challenges for pharmacotherapy will be included and will provide readers with the necessary knowledge to handle complex diseases and treatment strategies especially in relation to pharmacotherapy of rare and orphan diseases.

These guidelines provide recommendations that outline the critical aspects of infection prevention and control. The recommendations were developed using the best available evidence and consensus methods by the Infection Control Steering Committee. They have been prioritised as key areas to prevent and control infection in a healthcare facility. It is recognised that the level of risk may differ according to the different types of facility and therefore some recommendations should be justified by risk assessment. When implementing these recommendations all healthcare facilities need to consider the risk of transmission of infection and implement according to their specific setting and circumstances.

The 340B Drug Pricing Program (340B Program) and the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program require manufacturers to provide discounts on outpatient drugs in order to have their drugs covered by Medicaid. These discounts take the form of reduced sales prices for covered entities participating in the 340B Program--eligible hospitals and federal grantees--and rebates on drugs dispensed to Medicaid beneficiaries, shared by states and the federal government. This book looks at important issues pertaining to the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

The essential work in HIV for providers and pharmacists--updated with everything they need to know in 2021! An end-to-end clinical resource for the treatment of individuals with HIV/AIDS, Fundamentals of HIV Medicine has served as a key resource for clinicians preventing and treating HIV for over a decade. Now updated for 2021, Fundamentals of HIV Medicine 2021 offers state-of-the-art continuing education for physicians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, nurses, and other professionals working in the care of HIV patients. With this volume, practitioners will have immediate, indexed access to the most updated science, research, and guidelines related to all aspects of HIV care and prevention. This revised edition features key clinical updates across classic domains of HIV medicine along with recent research in HIV medicine including HIV workforce strains and PrEP, newly emerging antiretroviral treatment options, and the evolving effects of COVID-19 on HIV care. Embodying the American Academy of HIV Medicine's commitment to excellence in the care of seropositive patients, Fundamentals of HIV Medicine 2021 is a must-have for health professionals across HIV care, treatment, and prevention.

This report presents the recommendations of the WHO Expert Committee responsible for updating the WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines. It contains a summary of the Committee's considerations and justifications for additions and changes to the Model Lists, including its recommendations. Annexes to the main report include the revised version of the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (20th edition) and the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children (6th edition). In addition there is a list of all the items on the Model Lists sorted according to their Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification codes.