TB advocates call on Europe to fulfil commitments for new TB vaccines

The TB Vaccine Advocacy Roadmap (TB Vax ARM), led by IAVI, the Treatment Action Group, Results UK, and the Global TB Caucus, today launched an international advocacy campaign ahead of the 6th Global Forum on TB Vaccines (February 22-25). Held under the High Patronage of President Emmanuel Macron and designated an official event of the agenda of the French Presidency of the European Union, the Global Forum is the world’s largest gathering of stakeholders aspiring toward new tuberculosis (TB) vaccines. New and effective TB vaccines will be critical to ending the centuries-long global TB epidemic, with the disease claiming 1.5 million lives in 2020 and cases of drug-resistant TB continuing to rise. But making new TB vaccines a reality necessitates significantly more resources.

Underpinning this campaign, the TB Vax ARM have sent two open letters to European leadership — the first addressed to President Macron, and the second addressed to the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Health. The coalition of advocates seeks the renewed commitment of the French government, the European Union, and the governments of the EU members states to help deliver a fully funded TB vaccine pipeline by 2023. More specifically, they call on Europe to increase and sustain investments in TB research by €320 million annually, with €90 million specifically dedicated to vaccine R&D. This action follows an open letter sent to the G20 Finance and Health Ministers in October 2021 and includes revised fair share targets for EU member states.

Read the full press note.

Read the letter to President Emmanuel Macron of France.

Read the letter to the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Health.

View the campaign toolkit.

PRESS CONTACT:

Natalie Shure, Treatment Action Group: natalie.shure@treatmentactiongroup.org