Kenya is among three African countries set to take part in a large-scale clinical trial aimed at testing a promising new tuberculosis (TB) vaccine.
The trial, spearheaded by global research organization IAVI in collaboration with Spanish biotech firm Biofabri, will evaluate the effectiveness of the MTBVAC vaccine in preventing TB among adolescents and adults with latent TB infections.
Large-Scale Clinical Trial
The study, known as IMAGINE (Investigation of MTBVAC toward Accelerating Global Immunisation for a Neglected Epidemic), is a phase 2b clinical trial set to enrol 4,300 participants across 15 locations in Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania.
In Kenya, the research will be conducted at the Kenya Medical Research Institute/Centre for Respiratory Disease Research in Nairobi and the Victoria Biomedical Research Institute in Kisumu.
“MTBVAC is a promising vaccine candidate being evaluated in the IMAGINE trial, a large-scale safety and efficacy trial evaluating the prevention of TB disease in adolescents and adults with latent TB infection in South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania,” IAVI stated in a release on Thursday.
TB is a bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs and spreads through the air when an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or spits.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 10.8 million people worldwide developed TB in 2023, including six million men, 3.6 million women, and 1.3 million children.
In Kenya, the 2022 Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) found that about 1.1 percent of the population is currently living with TB. Many others have latent TB infections, meaning they carry the bacteria but do not show symptoms or spread the disease.
WHO estimates that a quarter of the world’s population is infected with TB bacteria, with between five and ten percent eventually developing symptoms.
The Search for a More Effective Vaccine
The only TB vaccine currently in use is the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which offers some protection to children but is not effective in preventing TB in adolescents and adults.
“A TB vaccine effective in children, adolescents, and adults would save millions of lives otherwise lost to TB over time,” IAVI stated.
Early trials of the MTBVAC vaccine have shown promising results, with phase 2 studies demonstrating a strong immune response and a safety profile similar to the BCG vaccine.
“The IMAGINE trial is an important new effort to develop a vaccine capable of combating the world’s deadliest disease,” said Lewis Schrager, head of IAVI’s TB vaccine development efforts.
With this new trial, researchers hope to take a step closer to developing a more effective solution for one of the world’s most persistent infectious diseases.
