MTBVAC Tuberculosis Vaccine Clinical Trials, Dosage, News, Side Effects, Usage
Biofabri, S.L. MTBVAC is a live-attenuated M. tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate evaluated in phase 3 clinical trials. It has demonstrated safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity in preclinical and clinical studies. MTBVAC was designed by the research group of Dr. Carlos Martín Montañés from the Department of Microbiology at the University of Zaragoza, Spain, and Brigitte Gicquel from the Institut Pasteur, Paris. This vaccine is designed to provide improved efficacy compared to the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the current TB vaccine. Unlike BCG, which lacks over 100 genes compared to the human pathogen, MTBVAC contains the complete set of antigenic targets of the original pathogen.
MTBVAC is based on a rationally attenuated M. tuberculosis clinical isolate belonging to modern lineage 4 that conserves most of the T cell epitopes described for TB, including the antigens ESAT6 and CFP10 of the RD1, while incorporating two independent stable genetic deletions of the phoP and fadD26 genes. MTBVAC stimulates specific immune responses that mimic natural tuberculosis infection without causing disease. A uniquely attenuated M. tuberculosis strain was generated through genetic engineering, which has a similar antigen repertoire to virulent M. tuberculosis and contains known human T cell epitopes present in M. tuberculosis but absent in BCG.
In a phase 1/2 study, MTBVAC had acceptable reactogenicity and induced a durable CD4 cell response in infants. MTBVAC completion of Phase 2 dose-finding trial and a double-blind, controlled Phase 3 clinical trial in newborns started in 2023, comparing the vaccine with the current BCG vaccine. 7,000 newborns from South Africa, 60 from Madagascar, and 60 from Senegal will be vaccinated. To date, more than 1,900 babies have been vaccinated.
Biofabri was founded in 2008 and is part of Zendal, a biopharmaceutical group comprising seven companies focused on researching, developing,
manufacturing and marketing high-value-added products in the healthcare industry.
MTBVAC Vaccine Indication
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). M. tuberculosis in inhaled droplets enters the alveolar passages of exposed humans, contacting resident cells, and is ingested by the alveolar macrophages.
MTBVAC Vaccine News
March 23, 2024 - Bharat Biotech International Limited, in collaboration with Biofabri, has started a series of clinical trials to evaluate the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of MTBVAC in India.
December 18, 2023 - IAVI and Biofabri announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded IAVI US$55 million to conduct a Phase IIb trial assessing the safety and efficacy of the MTBVAC vaccine.
January 4, 2021 - Article - MTBVAC vaccination protects rhesus macaques against aerosol challenge with M. tuberculosis and induces immune signatures analogous to those observed in clinical studies.
MTBVAC Vaccine Clinical Trials
A phase 3 trial (NCT04975178) is underway to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of MTBVAC compared to BCG in healthy, HIV-unexposed, and HIV-exposed uninfected newborns in tuberculosis-endemic regions of sub-Saharan Africa. This randomized, double-blind, controlled trial aims to enroll 7120 newborns who have not received BCG vaccination and have not been exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The trial is being conducted at six sites, including four in South Africa, one in Madagascar, and one in Senegal.
A Phase 2 study in HIV-infected adults started in 2024 to determine whether MTBVAC is safe in this population. This ongoing trial at 16 sites in South Africa – involving the vaccination of 276 adults – is evaluating safety and immunogenicity in HIV-negative and HIV-positive adults and adolescents vaccinated with MTBVAC.
Phase 2b/3 in adolescents and adults is planned for 2025 in different regions of the world.
