Candidate for TB vaccine found

SCIENTISTS have found a potential candidate for a vaccine that could be used to reduce the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in HIV negative adults with latent TB.

Speaking to journalists at a media briefing organised by Stop TB Partnership during the first High Level Meeting on Tuberculosis last week in New York, USA, Aeras chief executive officer Dr Ann Ginsberg said the trial which involved about 3 500 adults and was conducted in Kenya, South Africa and Zambia showed that the candidate vaccine code named M72/ASOIE had a potential to protect people by at least 54 percent from getting TB.

Dr Ginsberg said although these were preliminary results released before completion of the three-year study next year, indications were high that this candidate could be the answer to finding a TB vaccine.

“This was just a phase 11b study meaning that we now have proof of concept that it works, which is really a game changer.

“It’s the first ever vaccine to have shown this level of efficacy and the first TB vaccine to show that it can protect people who are already infected with the TB bacteria,” said Dr Ginsberg.

She said there was however still a lot of work to do before the product is available on the market, which include confirmatory results next year and a much bigger study going forward.

She said researchers were also interested in knowing whether the vaccine also works in people living with HIV.

Dr Ginsberg said although it might take several years before an ultimate answer is concluded, the current preliminary result provided hope for research towards finding a TB vaccine.

Emmanuel Hanon, senior vice president and head of research and development for global vaccines at GSK, which developed the vaccine, described the findings as a “scientific breakthrough”.

Mr Hanon said while the result was not the ultimate answer, it provided a solution to the long quest for a TB vaccine.

He said in the last 100 years, no sign of a potential TB vaccine had been developed.

“The vaccine is potentially the start of a solution to a big problem,” he said.

Deputy director of Aids and Tuberculosis in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Charles Sandi said the need to secure a vaccine was becoming essential as the call to end Tuberculosis by 2030 was also getting louder.

Dr Sandi said current vaccine on TB, which is the BCG (bacille Calmette-Guerin) administered to infants shortly after birth was no longer effective in reducing pulmonary tuberculosis.

“The results are encouraging because even with BCG we still have high numbers of people dying from Tuberculosis, we still have a high number of people getting sick from TB.

“That means something is wrong with current interventions hence the need for a vaccine to compliment already existing efforts in combating TB by 2030,” said Dr Sandi.

Over 30 Head of State, First Ladies, senior government officials, celebrities, funding partners, members of the civil society and other stakeholders attended the TB High level meeting.