TB Vaccine Access Strategies

The TB vaccines innovations at KNCV focus towards ensuring equitable access to any forthcoming TB vaccines for adults and adolescents. With a diverse team of epidemiologists, qualitative researchers, laboratory professionals, and digital health experts, we strive to contribute to the necessary preparation to ensure effective introduction in high TB burden countries. 

Building upon KNCV’s long-standing expertise and experience, we focus on three key areas. 

1. Generating a solid evidence base in TB epidemiology and preparedness: We seek to address knowledge gaps in vaccine implementation strategies, accessibility, feasibility, and acceptability of a new TB vaccine, including building the necessary (epidemiological) evidence to foster informed decision making.
2. Bridging the gap between research on TB vaccine preparedness and country preparedness: We contribute to countries’ preparedness to effectively plan and implement a successful TB vaccine program.
3. Helping to streamline efforts and stimulate synergies between stakeholders and projects: We bring stakeholders together, foster collaboration, and guide strategic direction of the international TB vaccine readiness field.

Introducing the vaccine to the population

Despite progress in TB prevention and care efforts, the global burden of TB remains high, with an estimated 10.6 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths in 2021 alone. New safe, effective, affordable, and accessible TB vaccines could be a game changer in the fight against TB and contribute to the WHO End TB Strategy targets for reduction of disease burden, with the goal of building a world without TB.

However, the successful introduction and scale-up of a new TB vaccine will depend on the readiness of target countries to implement and deliver the vaccine. With approximately 17 TB vaccine candidates in the pipeline, of which six are in phase 3 development and vaccines containing a new class of TB vaccines intended for adolescents and adults, there is an urgent need to assess TB vaccine readiness in target countries.

If a vaccine becomes available, the key challenge will be to ensure that it reaches the populations who most need it. Determining what the best approach will be for introducing the vaccine to the population will be crucial. KNCV contributes to the development of TB vaccines through research, implementation, and health system readiness so we can help pave the way for a successful vaccine rollout to protect the world’s most vulnerable people.

Because investing in TB vaccine research and development can save millions of lives. Therefore, it is so important to work together to end TB and ensure that no one is left behind in the fight against this deadly disease.

Ways in which KNCV aims to support TB vaccine readiness:

• Health systems strengthening
• Countries’ self-sufficiency and reliance
• Bridging the gap between frameworks and implementation by identifying the actions necessary to effectively rollout a TB vaccine, once available
• Ensuring the highest public health impact while taking context and current capacity -spanning from the national to the health facility levels- into account