Pharmaprojects R&D Pipeline News Feed
Tuberculosis vaccine trials are initiated
7 Aug 2007
For the first time in over 80 years, mid-stage clinical trials in tuberculosis (TB) patients are underway with a completely new kind of novel TB vaccine developed by researchers at Oxford University, the UK, and supported by the Wellcome Trust. The Phase II trial is being conducted in South Africa, where TB is widespread, affecting 1 in 100 infants in the Western Cape alone.
TB is second only to HIV/AIDS as the world's most deadly infectious disease. It affects 9 million people worldwide per year and kills at least 1.7 million. In the UK and Ireland, rates of infection have been steadily increasing for 15 years, despite reaching an all time low in the 1980s. Alongside increasing incidence, the mortality rate is expected worsen, especially with the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. Disease prevention is therefore of increasing importance globally.
The current standard TB vaccine is the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which is prepared from a strain of attenuated live Mycobacterium bovis, the bovine tuberculosis bacillus. At best, the BCG vaccine is 80% effective in preventing tuberculosis for up to 15 years; however, this seems to vary geographically. Also it protects against the severe forms of the disease in infants, but is not reliable in preventing pulmonary TB, the most common form of the disease.
The new vaccine, known as MVA85A, is based on a modified vaccinia Ankara cirus, and is expected to be given as an adjunct to the BCG vaccination. Previous tests have shown that it produces a very high immune response; now it must demonstrate increased disease prevention. Results of this trial will be highly anticipated by the pharmaceutical industry, where intense speculation regarding potential licensing agreements can be expected, as any such plans have yet to be announced.
