New Vaccine for TB...!

We are aware that TB has become one of the most dangerous disease (more than two billion people are infected with tuberculosis – approximately one out of every three people on the planet – and 1.8 million die annually from the disease). And also the strain is getting resistance to the single drug and a combination of Rifampicin, Ethumbutol, Isoniazid and Streptomycin a combo of 4 drugs is being used as treatment. And as per the saying "Prevention is better than Cure", a new vaccine is urgently needed, as BCG is currently the only available vaccine against TB, and provides only variable protection against pulmonary tuberculosis, which accounts for most of the worldwide disease burden. Now thanx to Dr Helen McShane, a Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Research Fellow, working with Dr Sarah Gilbert, a Reader in Vaccinology, and Professor Adrian Hill, a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow- who together achieved a milestone in developing the vaccine and it has entered Phase IIb proof-of-concept clinical trials, making it the first TB candidate vaccine for more than 80 years to get to this advanced stage of clinical trials in infants. There is still a long road ahead, but this marks an important milestone toward the goal of a more effective TB vaccine. First I congratulate for this milestone and wish them all the success in their attempt.

Ref : http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2009/090423.html