Life-saving tuberculosis vaccine created by Spanish scientists- but it needs a €20 million boost

SPANISH scientists have created a new, more effective vaccine against tuberculosis, the world’s most lethal illness- but they need €20 million to finish their life saving research.

Carlos Martin, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Zaragoza has been researching the deadly disease for over 25 years.

He hopes to finish his research in 2028, ready for the drug to be commercialised in 2029.

However, they cannot produce a version of the vaccine for babies without a significant cash injection.

According to Martin, this is due to a focus on treating tuberculosis in adults and older children, who are more likely to suffer from the disease.

PIONEER: Carlos Martin has been searching for a new tuberculosis vaccine for the past 25 years.
PHOTO: The Validate Network

The final step in the study, funded by Spanish pharmaceutical company Biofabri, is carrying out clinical trials on both children and adults.

Spain is hoped to be at the forefront of the fight against tuberculosis, with vaccines being produced in local laboratories as well as in India and Brazil.

Over a million people die of tuberculosis every year and the vaccine will be distributed in low and medium income countries at an ‘affordable’ price.

The current vaccine for the illness, BCG, is based on bovine bacteria and mostly given to babies and children.

But it is not a failsafe solution and is less effective at protecting against types of tuberculosis that affect the lungs.

Esteban Rodriguez, CEO of Biofarm, together with Martin, informed health authorities and news outlets, they were ‘optimistic’ about the new vaccine at a Multi Sector Plan Against Tuberculosis meeting last week.

They hope the new vaccine, known as MTBVAC, will be at least 50% more effective than BCG.

It will consist of one dosage and can be refrigerated, allowing it to be transported to rural areas.

While the vaccine is hoped to be very effective, we will not know the true results for another 20 years, Rodriguez claims.

So far, the research has received funding from the EU, the Gates Foundation and Open Philantropy, amongst many other organisations.

“In our baby project, the EU has financed half, we need the other half,” Martin said.

“Developing a pharmaceutical product is so expensive that you need a private business to invest for profit or donations from charities.”

In this case, they do not want the vaccine to be released to the open market in order to avoid speculation and extra profit. Therefore, they are asking charities to support their cause.