New Momentum in Tuberculosis Research as Vaccine and Treatments Advance to Phase III
A vaccine and two novel tuberculosis treatments are advancing through Phase III trials, marking renewed momentum in TB research. Tuberculosis claims over 1.25 million lives annually with 10.6 million new cases in 2023, while current treatments face challenges of high pill burden, toxicity, and rising resistance.
Momentum in tuberculosis research is picking up with a vaccine and two novel treatments progressing through late-stage Phase III trials, marking significant progress after several years without new TB drugs advancing to this stage. GlobalData epidemiologists project TB cases across the 16 major markets to reach 4.5 million by 2033, while tuberculosis still claims over 1.25 million lives annually with 10.6 million new cases in 2023 alone.
The current standard of care vaccine for TB is the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which remains the only licensed TB vaccine and is one of the most widely administered globally. However, its protection is largely limited to infants and young children, and there is still no approved vaccine that effectively prevents pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults.
Regarding treatment, current regimens include a six-month regimen consisting of two months of isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol and four months of isoniazid and rifampin. For multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB, recommended treatment is a six-month regimen of bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid, and moxifloxacin, alongside other longer or alternative regimens depending on resistance profiles and clinical factors.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, TB has once again become the leading infectious killer worldwide. For both TB and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung disease, the obstacles are strikingly similar—high pill burden, prolonged treatment, limited efficacy, toxicity, drug–drug interactions, and rising resistance. NTM pulmonary disease presents an even bleaker picture with treatments that are long, toxic, poorly tolerated, and often unsuccessful.
The urgent need is clear: shorter, safer, more effective regimens. The 4th Annual Symposium "Mycobacteria 2026: Translating Biology into Cures" will bring together leading scientists, clinicians, and innovators from around the globe to share the latest breakthroughs in TB and NTM research and drug discovery.