Communities are front and center in tuberculosis (TB) vaccine advocacy this World TB Day 

With promising TB vaccines currently in late-stage development, the TB vaccine field faces an unmissable opportunity to develop and deliver vaccines with communities firmly at the core. The participation and leadership of TB-affected communities and civil society was front and center in TB vaccine advocacy efforts ahead of this year’s World TB Day.  

Programmatically, IAVI is proud to play a key role in advancing late-stage clinical trials in partnership with Biofabri for the advancement of their TB vaccine candidate MTBVAC. We bring you some key highlights from IAVI’s current TB work and advocacy engagements on this milestone day. 

Announcement of IGRA-negative cohort enrollment in IMAGINE clinical trial 

IAVI’s Phase 2b clinical trial of the TB vaccine candidate MTBVAC, the IMAGINE trial, is underway, with clinical research centers in South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania. Originally designed to evaluate MTBVAC in participants with TB infection but without TB disease, as determined by an IGRA skin test, IAVI was recently able to expand the trial to a wider group of participants. IAVI recently announced the addition of a new cohort of participants without TB infection. The inclusion of this cohort could demonstrate safety and immunogenicity for populations of people without latent TB infection, potentially speeding the path to licensure for MTBVAC. You can read more here.  

Who will end TB? – Symposium on community leadership in Amsterdam 

Shaun Palmer, communications and advocacy specialist with IAVI’s Europe team, co-organized a community-led event at the KIT Institute in Amsterdam ahead of World TB Day. Entitled “Who will end TB?” the symposium explored science, stigma, and community leadership in the TB response. Part of the public program of the Hospitality exhibition by Paulina Siniatkina, an Amsterdam-based multi-disciplinary artist and TB survivor and activist, the event welcomed more than 50 advocates, researchers, students, and healthcare professionals to engage in frank reflection on the power of community leadership in the TB response. 

Featuring interventions from TB champions from eight countries in a program of intimate discussion and TED-style talks, including community-led TB vaccine advocacy, the symposium showcased the role of art, story-telling, and community action in creating a TB response that works for everyone without stigma or injustice. Speakers and participants alike underscored a resounding call to action – communities must be central to all aspects of the TB response as experts, decision makers, and leaders.  

The green line: civil society demands for TB vaccine preparedness and access 

The TB Vaccine Advocacy Roadmap (TB Vax ARM) held a webinar on Wednesday, 11 March, to begin to explore the factors that will shape access to new TB vaccines. Presentations from Treatment Action Group, IAVI, and Médecins Sans Frontières shared key opportunities and technical considerations around TB vaccine access planning. 

Following the webinar, the TB Vax ARM launched a new survey to help define common civil society priorities — “green lines” — for access conditions in TB vaccine preparedness and access. The survey was developed in response to a proposed global catalytic instrument(s) from the WHO TB Vaccine Accelerator Council which seeks to assure funded demand from countries and donors to incentivize manufacturers to expand production capacity and negotiate more affordable prices. The scope and objectives of the global catalytic instrument(s) will be decided over the coming year. Civil society and TB-affected communities are central to successful access planning. This survey seeks to obtain the views of civil society on important elements and principles that should guide development of future TB vaccine access instruments. 

Insights from IAVI’s TB leaders highlighted through social media campaign 

In commemoration of World TB Day, IAVI has produced a social media campaign highlighting the importance of the development of an effective TB vaccine, the unique promise of MTBVAC, and what we’re doing now to ensure global access to future TB vaccines. You can read more through our campaign on LinkedIn, available here.