The World Health Organization estimates that in 2022, 1.3 million children (< 15 years old) became infected with tuberculosis (TB) and 214,000 children died from TB.1

The Bacille-Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, developed almost 100 years ago, has been shown to prevent severe forms of TB in children, and is widely used though coverage varies.1

However, the vaccine is not effective after early childhood and there is currently no vaccine that is effective in preventing TB in adults. We urgently need more effective vaccines to fight TB.1

TB is very difficult to diagnose in children, and few medicines are available in paediatric formulations, forcing physicians to crush or split the adult pills to adjust the doses.

Otsuka was one of the first companies conducting clinical trials of medicines for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in children. Trials are completed testing the safety and efficacy of an MDR-TB medicine, including a fruit flavoured and water-soluble paediatric formulation.2

References

1. World Health Organization. Global Tuberculosis Report 2023. World Health Organization, Geneva, 2023.
2. ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT01856634 and NCT01859923

Information current as of 15-03-2024
Reference ONP-DEL-2300017 v2.0