A novel TB vaccine candidate that could replace the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine and has been found to provide significantly better protection against the TB germ in South African newborns is set to reach a new benchmark in the new year as it will be tested on teenagers and adults with latent TB.
This week the development of the MTBVAC vaccine candidate received a funding injection of $55m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the German federal ministry of education and research. The vaccine candidate, which is being tested in multiple trials across Africa, will from the middle of next year be tested on 4,300 teenagers and adults.
The phase IIb trial will assess the safety and efficacy of MTBVAC to prevent active TB lung disease in people between the ages of 14 and 45 in South Africa and other sub-Saharan African countries with a high TB burden.
There are hopes in the science community that the MTBVAC vaccine candidate, which is still in development by Spanish company BioFabri and the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), could provide better protection than BCG, after results showed a single dose of the MTBVAC provides significantly better protection against the TB germ and could potentially last longer than BCG in protection for newborns.
Lew Schrager, head of TB vaccines at IAVI, said: “We're in the process of selecting clinical sites right now and so can't say at the moment how many other countries the trial sites will be in.”
Unlike BCG, which has been in existence for more than 100 years and is derived from Mycobacterium bovis, a bacterium that causes a TB-like disease in cows and is ineffective against TB spread, MTBVAC is derived from humans and vaccine experts say it has the potential to generate a broad protective immune response against TB.
Mark Feinberg, president and CEO of IAVI, said the latest funding could accelerate the availability of the new TB vaccine by several years, if shown to be effective in the upcoming clinical trial.
“The world urgently needs a new, effective vaccine that can prevent TB disease in adults and adolescents, and we are hopeful that MTBVAC will be part of the solution to finally end the TB epidemic.”
New TB vaccine that showed hope for South African infants to be tested on teens in 2024
The vaccine candidate, MTBVAC, which is being tested in multiple trials across Africa, will from the middle of next year be tested on 4,300 teenagers and adults in SA and other African countries.
Image: Alaister Russell/Sunday Times
A novel TB vaccine candidate that could replace the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine and has been found to provide significantly better protection against the TB germ in South African newborns is set to reach a new benchmark in the new year as it will be tested on teenagers and adults with latent TB.
This week the development of the MTBVAC vaccine candidate received a funding injection of $55m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the German federal ministry of education and research. The vaccine candidate, which is being tested in multiple trials across Africa, will from the middle of next year be tested on 4,300 teenagers and adults.
The phase IIb trial will assess the safety and efficacy of MTBVAC to prevent active TB lung disease in people between the ages of 14 and 45 in South Africa and other sub-Saharan African countries with a high TB burden.
There are hopes in the science community that the MTBVAC vaccine candidate, which is still in development by Spanish company BioFabri and the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), could provide better protection than BCG, after results showed a single dose of the MTBVAC provides significantly better protection against the TB germ and could potentially last longer than BCG in protection for newborns.
Lew Schrager, head of TB vaccines at IAVI, said: “We're in the process of selecting clinical sites right now and so can't say at the moment how many other countries the trial sites will be in.”
Unlike BCG, which has been in existence for more than 100 years and is derived from Mycobacterium bovis, a bacterium that causes a TB-like disease in cows and is ineffective against TB spread, MTBVAC is derived from humans and vaccine experts say it has the potential to generate a broad protective immune response against TB.
Mark Feinberg, president and CEO of IAVI, said the latest funding could accelerate the availability of the new TB vaccine by several years, if shown to be effective in the upcoming clinical trial.
“The world urgently needs a new, effective vaccine that can prevent TB disease in adults and adolescents, and we are hopeful that MTBVAC will be part of the solution to finally end the TB epidemic.”
New child-friendly TB prophylaxis, a ‘game changer’ for prevention
Esteban Rodriguez, CEO of Biofabri, said the outcome of the efficacy studies in neonates as well as those in adolescents and adults “will provide us with a pathway to license MTBVAC for all age groups”.
“Should MTBVAC be shown to be safe and efficacious, (we) will ensure that MTBVAC is manufactured and supplied in sufficient quantities globally and is accessible at affordable prices in low- and middle-income countries.”
In a separate phase 2 study, the vaccine developers tested the safety and efficacy of the new vaccine candidate in about 100 infants. The phase 3 trial will enrol about 7,120 newborns who have not received BCG vaccination and have not been exposed to TB in South Africa, Madagascar and Senegal.
Another study by HIV Vaccine Trials Network will soon be testing MTBVAC in people living with HIV who are on antiretroviral treatment. The clinical trial will start in mid January.
TimesLIVE
READ MORE
Top prof speaks out on violent crime pandemic affecting delivery of health services in Cape Town
SA has made great progress towards an Aids-free future, but many challenges persist
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos