TB vaccine Phase IIbtrial results encouraging: GSK

Drug major GSK and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) on Tuesday said the former's vaccine candidate significantly reduced incidence

of pulmonary tuberculosis disease (TB) in HIV-negative adults with latent TB infection.

These Phase IIb results demonstrate an overall vaccine efficacy of 50 per cent during the three years after vaccination. The candidate vaccine of GSK has an acceptable safety and reactogenicity profile, a press release said here.

The final results are consistent with the primary analysis done after two years of follow-up and published in New England Journal of Medicine in September 2018, it said.

The study was conducted by GSK with the partnership of IAVI. Welcoming the Phase IIb Trial results of the tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate of GSK (GSK/IAVI M72), Paula I Fujiwara, Scientific Director of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), on Tuesday here said We are one more cautious, but exciting, step closer to a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB)."

A vaccine is the ultimate prevention tool and the announcement today is welcome news, but as researchers discuss how to move the trial into its final phase, we simultaneously need to be doing all we can to prevent tuberculosis with medications that we already have at our disposal," the
release quoted Fujiwara as saying.

India has the highest TB burden in the world accounting for just over one in four of all estimated global cases. The union government has made the fight against TB a central priority and boldly pledged to end TB by 2025, five years before the globally agreed target, it said.

Thomas Breuer, Chief Medical Officer of GSK Vaccines, said these results demonstrated that for the first time in almost a century, the global community potentially has a new tool to help provide protection against TB.

"I want to thank our scientists for their dedicated effort and scientific innovation in developing this impactful vaccine candidate in partnership with IAVI and other key organisations, he said.

Meanwhile, another release said Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will be the Chief Guest of the 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health at the opening ceremony on October 30.

Film and television actress Claire Forlani has accepted a role as ambassador for The Union and will also speak at the ceremony.

The theme of the conference is "Ending the Emergency" and the event expected to announce a series of global news announcements around prevention efforts that are predicted to have significant impact on the epidemic, it said.

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