WHO’s Africa Hub Starts Work on mRNA Tuberculosis Vaccine

Antony Sguazzin
·1 min read
1

(Bloomberg) -- A World Health Organization-backed group started work on developing an mRNA vaccine for tuberculosis, expanding on plans to develop local shots for the coronavirus.

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Established in Cape Town last year, the mRNA hub is a response to a global outcry after developing nations struggled to secure pandemic inoculations even as rich countries stockpiled them. The work on a TB shot comes as it ultimately aims to develop inoculations to tackle neglected diseases that plague citizens of poorer countries.

“It is a unique opportunity to try and use the platform for a high burden disease in Africa,” said Petro Terblanche, managing director of Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines, which is part of the WHO’s hub. The company has TB data collected over 20 years that can be used in the project.

The group plans to start human trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate by May.

The first messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines were brought into commercial production by Moderna Inc. and through a joint project by Pfizer Inc. and BioNtech SE during the coronavirus pandemic. This technology can be adjusted to tackle different pathogens, potentially accelerating the development of new shots.

About 1.5 million people die of TB every year, with almost all of those living in developing countries, the Stop TB Partnership says. One in four people globally are infected with TB bacteria with 10 million becoming ill each year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention. South Africa alone has more than 300,000 people with the disease.

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