TB Vaccines Move Closer to Reality as WHO-Led Global Forum Accelerates Readiness and Access

Tuberculosis remains the world’s leading infectious killer, infecting more than 10 million people annually and claiming over 1 million lives each year.

A century after the last tuberculosis (TB) vaccine breakthrough, the world may be on the verge of a historic turning point. At a high-level global summit hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, health leaders, scientists, and policymakers signalled growing momentum behind a new generation of TB vaccines—offering fresh hope against one of humanity's deadliest infectious diseases.

The TB Vaccine Accelerator Forum, held from 27–28 April, brought together global stakeholders to fast-track collaboration, align strategies, and address remaining barriers to the development, approval, and equitable rollout of vaccines targeting adolescents and adults.

A Century-Long Gap Nearing an End

Tuberculosis remains the world's leading infectious killer, infecting more than 10 million people annually and claiming over 1 million lives each year. Despite this enormous burden, no new TB vaccines have been successfully introduced in over 100 years.

Now, that could change.

"For the first time in over a century, new, effective TB vaccines for adults and adolescents are within reach," said Dr Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care.

Several vaccine candidates are currently in late-stage clinical trials, with some expected to deliver efficacy results within the next two years—raising the possibility of a transformative shift in global TB control.

Coordinating a Global Push for Vaccine Readiness

The forum marked the first joint meeting of all three working groups under the WHO-led TB Vaccine Accelerator, an initiative launched in 2023 to address gaps across the vaccine development and delivery pipeline.

Discussions focused on ensuring that once vaccines are approved, countries can move quickly toward adoption and implementation—avoiding the delays that have historically limited access to new health technologies.

Key priorities included:

• Aligning global stakeholders on vaccine development timelines

• Identifying research gaps needed for regulatory approval and policy recommendations

• Strengthening coordination between developers, funders, and governments

• Accelerating pathways from clinical trials to country-level deployment

New Platform to Prepare Countries for Rollout

A major outcome of the forum was the launch of an online "community of practice" platform, designed to help countries prepare for the introduction of new TB vaccines.

The platform enables governments, researchers, and partners to:

• Share data, tools, and best practices

• Strengthen evidence-based decision-making

• Build delivery systems and community engagement strategies

• Coordinate advocacy and uptake efforts

Developed by WHO in collaboration with IAVI and the Stop TB Partnership, the platform builds on ongoing consultations in high-burden countries such as Indonesia and South Africa, with further engagements planned in Brazil and Kenya.

Promising Vaccine Candidates Under Review

Two leading vaccine candidates—M72/AS01E and MTBVAC—are currently at the forefront of global research efforts.

At the forum, developers provided updates on their progress, followed by expert discussions on the challenges ahead, including:

• Navigating regulatory approval processes

• Generating sufficient clinical evidence for global policy recommendations

• Preparing countries for rapid adoption and deployment

WHO advisory bodies, including the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), are already examining the data requirements needed to support future policy decisions.

Financing and Access: The Next Frontier

Even as scientific progress accelerates, ensuring equitable access remains a major challenge—particularly for low- and middle-income countries that bear the highest TB burden.

The forum highlighted ongoing work to develop sustainable financing models, following the 2025 WHO report on global access to TB vaccines.

Key initiatives underway include:

• Innovative financing mechanisms to support large-scale rollout

• Market-shaping strategies to ensure affordability

• Early economic modelling to guide demand and investment decisions

• Mapping global funding gaps

• Expanding regional manufacturing capacity for TB vaccines

These efforts aim to prevent the inequities seen during previous global health crises, where access to lifesaving vaccines was uneven and delayed.

A Critical Moment for Global Health

The convergence of scientific progress, political commitment, and coordinated global action has created a rare window of opportunity to reshape the fight against TB.

Experts say that effective vaccines for adults and adolescents could:

• Dramatically reduce transmission rates

• Lower mortality and healthcare costs

• Ease pressure on health systems

• Accelerate progress toward global TB elimination targets

Next Steps

Findings and recommendations from the forum will feed into the upcoming TB Vaccine Accelerator Council meeting on 19 May 2026, held alongside the World Health Assembly.

A comprehensive report outlining progress, challenges, and next steps is expected later this year.

Toward a TB-Free Future

As the global health community marks World Immunization Week, the renewed focus on TB vaccines underscores a broader message: vaccines remain one of the most powerful tools in public health—capable of saving millions of lives across generations.

With breakthrough candidates on the horizon and global coordination intensifying, the world may finally be approaching a long-awaited milestone in the fight against tuberculosis.