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SA testing new TB vaccine
28/07/2007 12:08 - (SA)
London - The first new vaccine against tuberculosis in more than 80 years has entered mid-stage trials in South Africa, where the killer disease is rife, scientists said on Saturday.
If the tests are successful, a new shot against M.
tuberculosis (TB) bacteria could be available within eight
years.
The vaccine was developed by researchers at Oxford
University, who are now studying it in Phase II studies in the
Western Cape. Despite widespread vaccination, one in 100 infants
in the Western Cape suffers from TB disease, underscoring the
need for better prevention.
The current standard vaccine for TB is Bacille
Calmette-Guerin, or BCG, which provides some protection against
severe forms of the disease in children but is unreliable
against pulmonary TB, the most common type.
TB is second only to HIV/Aids as the world's most deadly
infectious disease, killing around 1.7 million people a year,
and the emergence of strains that are resistant to antibiotics
has increased the problem.
"The rise in the number of cases of multi-drug resistant
forms of TB plus the increasing number of cases of TB in people
living with HIV means a new vaccine is essential," the vaccine's
co-developer, Dr Helen McShane, said.
"We can no longer rely on antibiotics to treat the disease
- we need to help the body's immune system prevent disease."
McShane and her colleagues received funding for their
trials from the Wellcome Trust medical charity, which provides
cash for research that is of potential benefit to public health
but has not yet secured financing from commercial backers.
The new vaccine, known as MVA85A, works in tandem with the
BCG shot and acts as a booster to the older vaccine. Previous
tests have already shown it produces a very high immune response
but the key is to show it actually prevents disease.
The vaccine's developers declined to comment on the possible
future involvement of major drug companies in the programme.
Leading vaccine producers include GlaxoSmithKline,
Sanofi-Aventis and Merck & Co.
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