The only tuberculosis vaccination available currently isBacille Calmette-Guèrin (BCG). Unfortunately, while BCG prevents some forms ofthe disease in infants, it does not prevent pulmonary tuberculosis, which isthe cause of the majority of tuberculosis infections and death in adolescentsand adults. Under the new agreement, GSK's vaccine candidate is being developedto be used in addition to BCG. Early-stage clinical trials have demonstratedthat M72 has an acceptable safety and reactogenicity profile, as well as ademonstrated immune response.
"When considering the massive public health impact and coststo society of neglected diseases including tuberculosis, global financing forR&D remains critically low in this area," said Connolly in a statement."Working in partnership with GSK—sharing resources, capabilities andknow-how—affords us the opportunity to conduct this pivotal, multi-countryproof-of-concept trial, getting us that much closer to potentially one dayhaving a TB vaccine that could protect adolescents and adults from one of theworld's deadliest infectious diseases."
The announcement is followed by additional tuberculosis newsfrom GSK. The company announced that its tuberculosis compound library would bemade freely available to the public. GSK researchers have screened thecompany's pharmaceutical compound library for any candidates that might inhibittuberculosis bacteria, and plans to publish the results in a scientificjournal, which will shed light on approximately 200 promising candidates thatcould provide new targets for additional tuberculosis medicines. The move isone of several made by GSK in recent years to be more open in the sharing ofits intellectual property, and follows a similar move in 2009 when the companyput all of its malaria compounds in the public domain.
According to the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control andPrevention, one-third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis,with nearly nine million people contracting the disease worldwide in 2011,10,528 of which were reported in the United States. Approximately 1.5 milliontuberculosis-related deaths were recorded in 2011 worldwide, and it is aleading killer of HIV-infected individuals. Tuberculosis is still endemic inseveral countries, with 22 countries listed as being high burden countries forthe disease.
