Vaccine for latent TB has clinical trial

A vaccine that will target latent tuberculosis (TB) has now entered the clinical trial stage, bringing it a step closer to the market.

Statens Serum Institut and Aeras made the announcement about the vaccine, which is hoped to prevent people latently infected with TB from developing the active form of the disease.

Jim Connolly, president and chief executive officer of Aeras, explained that the move to clinical trial is encouraging as there are two billion people worldwide with a latent TB infection.

"It's daunting to comprehend that there is a vast reservoir of people with a five to ten per cent lifetime risk of becoming sick with TB. A vaccine that prevents TB disease in this population could save millions of lives, and this trial is a first step in assessing a vaccine candidate designed for this purpose," he explained.

This clinical trial will be the first to test the vaccine on humans and will assess the safety and immunogenicity of the active proteins in 25 adults, including those with and without latent TB.

Posted by Fiona Griffiths