Africa-Press – Malawi. Malawi is one of seven countries implementing phase three clinical trials for the M72 Tuberculosis (TB) vaccine. The vaccine was developed to prevent pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults.
Speaking at a Journalist in Residence meeting on Friday in Blantyre, Senior Research Clinical Officer at the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome (MLW) Programme, Patrick Goodson, said the trial phase will assess the efficacy of the serum in protecting people exposed to TB from developing active TB disease.
The trial is recruiting participants aged 15 to 44 in South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Indonesia and Vietnam.
“Globally, we are recruiting 20,000 participants in a trial that will run for four years: two years for recruitment and two years for follow-ups,” Goodson said.
In September, Malawi initiated clinical trial sites for vaccine candidates at the Gateway MLW Clinic in Blantyre and at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe under the University of North Carolina Project.
The first doses were administered on October 23, 2024 at the site in Blantyre.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 10.8 million people fell ill with TB globally in 2023 and 1.25 million died.
In Malawi alone, around 25,000 people are estimated to develop TB each year.
Goodson believes that the benefits for Malawi will be substantial if the vaccine trial is successful.
“If the trial is successful and receives approval from WHO, the world at large will benefit and the country will also benefit in terms of reducing the number of TB cases we usually register each year,” he said.
Currently, Malawi administers the BCG TB vaccine, which protects babies and young children against severe forms of TB.
However, it is said to offer inadequate protection for adolescents and adults against the pulmonary form of the disease.
Clinical trials for the M72 TB vaccine are sponsored by the Gates Medical Research Institute, with additional funding from the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.
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