New tuberculosis vaccines could save millions of lives
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Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, estimates that future tuberculosis vaccines could save 7.3 million lives between 2030 and 2050.
The organization is urging increased research into new vaccines to combat the disease, which causes hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Currently, the only available vaccine, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), protects infants and young children but its effectiveness decreases over time. Researchers are developing new vaccines to address the limitations of BCG and prevent infectious pulmonary tuberculosis in teenagers and adults.
GlaxoSmithKline and the Gates Medical Research Institute are investigating the M72/AS01E vaccine, while the Spanish firm Biofabri is researching MTBVAC. Gavi’s analysis also suggests these new vaccines could generate up to $135 billion in economic benefits for low- and middle-income countries. In 2024 alone, 10.7 million people contracted tuberculosis and 1.2 million died from the disease, making it one of the world’s deadliest.
Gavi anticipates a demand of 85 million vaccinations annually in low- and middle-income countries once the new vaccines become available.
