This week marks the 100th anniversary of the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, yet the fight to end tuberculosis (TB) remains.
The Union calls on governments and donor agencies to increase investment in TB vaccine research and development (R&D). The US $1.2 billion annual TB research funding gap must be closed.
Although the BCG has protected generations of children from the worse forms of TB, there is a huge need for more vaccines that work for all those as risk.
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed just what political will and funding can achieve. The billions invested in COVID-19 treatments and vaccines has resulted in vaccines being developed within a year of SARS-CoV-2 identification.
We have also seen the vital importance of collaboration between key stakeholders and the global health community. The Union supports knowledge, intellectual property and data sharing. These approaches ensure that we advance science, shorten R&D timelines and produce outputs that are available and accessible to all. Leave no one behind.
The Union will continue to strive to end suffering due to tuberculosis and lung disease by advancing better prevention and care.
Join us in calling on world leaders to invest in TB R&D to close the funding gap.
Every person has the right to attain the highest level of health – adequate financing of TB R&D is essential to realising that right.
The Union