GLA University, Mathura

A COMING PREVENTIVE TOOL FOR TB: RAY OF HOPE

WHO said that licensing of at least one new vaccine will be possible by 2020. A new vaccine that prevents TB could significantly reduce the enormous financial burden of treating drug resistant TB which can cost one lac rupee per patient in India.

After almost 100 years, there are hopes of a new tuberculosis vaccine. This could prevent the toll that the disease takes on individuals who are subjected 18-24 months of medication which side effect that can be as severe as hearing loss or psychosis. TB is one of the top killers of women.

Two different approaches are being used to develop TB vaccine:

The first approach is to develop vaccines that would do better than BCG and replace it –such as an improved version of BCG or a new attenuated live M. tuberculosis vaccine

The second approach is to develop a “prime-boost” strategy in which BCG continuous to be given to neonates (as now),since it prevent TB in infant and in children and give the new vaccine as a booster dose at a later stage .Alternatively the vaccine would be delivered to infant along side other vaccine

Of the 12 vaccine candidates in clinical trials 11 are for prevention of TB and one is an immunotherapeutic vaccine. MVA85A is designed as a booster vaccine for infants, adolescents and adults. Among existing vaccine candidate for TB prevention, it is the one that is most advanced in terms of clinical testing.

The phase-II trial of this vaccine was conducted in South Africa from 2009-11, with 2797 infants enrolled. Results are expected in early 2013 and will provide the first efficacy data of new TB vaccine candidate.