M72/AS01E is an experimental tuberculosis vaccine. If approved, it would be the first vaccine for tuberculosis in more than a century after the BCG vaccine.[1][2]

It was initially developed by GSK plc and funded by non-profits and governments due to the limited commercial potential of tuberculosis vaccines, which are mainly needed in poor countries. The vaccine candidate completed a Phase II clinical trial in 2018, but its development was stalled thereafter due to negotiations between GSK, which was uninterested in the late stage development of the vaccine candidate, and non-commercial backers. After almost two years, the company concluded an agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute. The Phase III trial is funded by the Wellcome Trust (up to US$150 million) and the Gates Foundation (the remaining around US$400 million). It is scheduled to begin in 2024 with results available in 2028. One issue in developing the vaccine is the need for bark extract from the tree Quillaja saponaria that is used in combination with monophosphoryl lipid A as an immunologic adjuvant. This adjuvant is used by several other GSK vaccines—especially the shingles vaccine that is more profitable—and GSK owns most of the world's supply.[1][3][4]

References

  1. 1 2 Barry-Jester, Anna Maria (4 October 2023). "How a Big Pharma Company Stalled a Potentially Lifesaving Vaccine in Pursuit of Bigger Profits". ProPublica. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Tozer, Lilly (28 June 2023). "Promising tuberculosis vaccine gets US$550-million shot in the arm". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-02171-x.
  3. ↑ "Press Release: Funding Late-Stage Development of M72 TB Vaccine Candidate". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  4. ↑ Tait, Dereck R.; Hatherill, Mark; Van Der Meeren, Olivier; Ginsberg, Ann M.; Van Brakel, Elana; Salaun, Bruno; Scriba, Thomas J.; Akite, Elaine J.; Ayles, Helen M.; Bollaerts, Anne; Demoitié, Marie-Ange; Diacon, Andreas; Evans, Thomas G.; Gillard, Paul; Hellström, Elizabeth; Innes, James C.; Lempicki, Maria; Malahleha, Mookho; Martinson, Neil; Mesia Vela, Doris; Muyoyeta, Monde; Nduba, Videlis; Pascal, Thierry G.; Tameris, Michele; Thienemann, Friedrich; Wilkinson, Robert J.; Roman, François (19 December 2019). "Final Analysis of a Trial of M72/AS01 E Vaccine to Prevent Tuberculosis". New England Journal of Medicine. 381 (25): 2429–2439. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1909953. hdl:10044/1/74245.
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