International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Group Primary Therapy Research Agenda Committee Goals and Objectives

The Primary Therapy RAC has set goals that involve gathering scientific data on children in clinical trials and implementing changes in processes to facilitate the collaboration between suppliers of therapeutic agents, clinician investigators, and Government institutional regulators to speed up the delivery of novel therapeutic agents to patients. In addition, uncovering the pathogenesis of pediatric HIV infection is an essential component of the Primary Therapy RAC's mission. Extension of PACTG clinical trials to other countries appears to be a necessary consequence of the early success in preventing HIV infection in newborns.

The Primary Therapy RAC has the following primary goals:

Goal 1: Conduct studies leading to the rapid development, optimal labeling and licensing of new antiretroviral drugs and novel agents for infants, children, and adolescents.

Goal 2: Explore new treatment strategies for antiretroviral therapy of HIV-1 infected infants, children, and adolescents that provide new insights useful in the development of treatment guidelines.

Goal 3: Use antiretroviral agents and immune-based therapies to investigate HIV-1 pathogenesis, and the reconstitution of the immune system.