It is a ray of hope for pulmonary tuberculosis patients as Kenya kicks off Phase 3 Clinical Trial for the M72/AS01E Candidate Tuberculosis (TB) Vaccine, becoming the second country in Africa after South Africa.

Researchers and TB advocates are excited about the possibility of having an effective TB vaccine for the first time, feeling that ending the disease by 2030 will be a dream achieved following years of advocacy.

Kenya became the second country to initiate clinical trial sites for the vaccine candidate at the onset of

this month following the announcement in March this year by the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) that a Phase 3 clinical trial to assess the efficacy of the M72/AS01E tuberculosis vaccine candidate was underway.

Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) Senior Principal Clinical Research Scientist, Dr Videlis Nduba expressed his excitement on the progress made so far in the research for this vaccine.

“Launching this Phase 3 trial for a TB vaccine candidate in Kenya is a major step, and we are delighted to be part of the global team that helps drive this program,” said Dr Nduba, also the na tional principal investigator for the trial in Kenya.

In March, the Gates MRI announced that the first doses had been given in South Africa, and in July Kenya initiated trial sites with the enrolment of participants starting on July 12 in Kisumu, Kilifi, Machakos, and Nairobi.

There will be a total of nine clinical trial sites in Kenya.

“Unfortunately, TB is a disease that remains present in our communities, and we have a strong commitment to play our part in addressing this public health challenge,” added Dr Nduba

At full capacity, the researchers say the trial will include up to 20,000 participants, including people living

with HIV, at up to 60 trial sites in seven countries — South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Chief National Coordinator – Stop TB Partnership Kenya, Evaline Kibuchi is particularly excited that finally a TB vaccine is on the horizon.

She told People Daily last evening that for a long time TB advocates have stage a campaign for TB prevention as a way of ending TB, and much as they have been promoting other prevention measures like infection prevention control through public health interventions, to end a disease, as learnt from Covid, a vaccine is the ultimate end of a disease.