Potential new TB vaccines could save millions of lives: Gavi
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New tuberculosis vaccines expected to become available from 2029 could save more than 7 million lives over a decade, Gavi said Monday, but only if sufficient supply is ensured for the countries most in need.
New TB jabs in the pipeline have the potential to become the "next blockbuster immunization tool," said Sania Nishtar, head of the Gavi global vaccine alliance.
"However, they will only realize their potential if we are able to ensure sufficient, predictable and affordable supply for those countries with the highest disease burden," she said in a statement.
Tuberculosis, or TB, remains the world's leading infectious killer, claiming an estimated 1.23 million lives in 2024, according to the latest statistics available from the World Health Organization.
The only vaccine currently licensed to protect against the disease is the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which is more than 100 years old.
Gavi stressed that while the vaccine is effective in protecting infants and young children against severe forms of the disease, its protection wanes.
The organization voiced hope that a number of new vaccines being developed to prevent TB among adolescents and adults could fill the gap.
With the first of the promising candidate vaccines expected to secure regulatory approval by the end of the decade, a fresh Gavi analysis determined that they "could avert up to 7.3 million deaths from 2030 through 2050."
It also determined that the new vaccines had the potential to "unlock up to $135 billion in economic benefits across low- and middle-income countries" by midcentury.
The Gavi analysis, however, also identified a number of risks that could slow the rollout once licenses are secured, including inadequate global and domestic financing, which could limit uptake in countries.
Uncertainty in demand could in turn affect manufacturers' capacity investments for late-stage candidates, creating supply risks, it warned.
Gavi, which brings together government and private donors to help developing countries acquire immunizations for key diseases at affordable prices, said it was working to ensure sufficient and affordable supplies of the vaccines as soon as they are licensed.
It also said it would push for widespread uptake through routine immunization and would "encourage a competitive and geographically diverse pipeline of novel TB vaccine candidates."
"In order to help countries secure doses in the volumes they need, we are beginning to work with partners now to lay the groundwork for timely access when these vaccines become available," Nishtar said.
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