The new TB vaccines expected to become available from 2029 could save more than 7m lives over a decade, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said this week, but only if sufficient supply is ensured to the countries most in need.
In its Early Market Shaping Roadmap for novel TB Vaccines, it warned, however, that action is required now to prepare governments and vaccine manufacturers for the vaccines’ arrival.
According to the Roadmap, demand for the vaccines among low-income countries and middle-income countries could reach, on average, 86m vaccination courses per year, with greater demand in the early years as high-burden countries seek to expand protection across multiple age groups in high-risk areas.
The organisation, which brings together government and private donors to help developing countries acquire immunisations for key diseases at affordable prices, said it was working to ensure sufficient and affordable supply of the jabs as soon as they are licensed.
It added that it would push for widespread uptake through routine immunisation, and would “encourage a competitive and geographically diverse pipeline of novel TB vaccine candidates”.
The new shots in the pipeline have the potential to become the next blockbuster immunisation tool, said Sania Nishtar, Gavi head.
“To help countries secure doses in the volumes they need, we are starting to work with partners now to lay the groundwork for timely access when these become available. But they will only realise their potential if we can ensure sufficient, predictable and affordable supply for those countries with the highest disease burden.”
The only vaccine currently licensed to protect against the disease is the century-old Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which although effective in protecting infants and children against severe forms of the disease, has waning protection.
It’s hoped that a number of new vaccines being developed to prevent TB among adolescents and adults could fill the gap.
With the first of the new and promising candidate vaccines expected to secure regulatory approval by the end of the decade, this latest Gavi analysis determined that up to to 7.3m deaths from 2030 to 2050 could be prevented.
The new jabs could also, potentially, unlock up to $135bn in economic benefits across low- and middle-income countries by mid-century.
However, the analysis 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.
The demand uncertainty could in turn have an impact on manufacturer capacity investments for late-stage candidates, creating supply risk, it warned.
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