Vaccines for equity

November 12, 2025

A new report by the World Health Organization has called for urgent financing and access strategies to ensure that future tuberculosis vaccines reach adolescents and adults in high-burden countries. The report, released during the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting in Limpopo, South Africa, outlines the challenges that could hinder equitable and timely deployment of the vaccines once they become available.

The document, titled Catalysing Solutions for Equitable Global Access and Sustainable Financing for Novel Tuberculosis Vaccines for Adults and Adolescents, was prepared by the Finance and Access Working Group of the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council. The group, co-convened by WHO, the Government of South Africa and Gavi, examined expected supply constraints, market barriers and financing gaps.

Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s most lethal infectious diseases. Each year, more than 10 million people develop TB, mainly adolescents and adults, and more than one million die. The burden is highest in low- and middle-income countries. Despite the estimated 79 million lives saved since 2000 through diagnosis and treatment, progress has been uneven due to inequities in healthcare access, stigma, conflict and limited public health funding.

Existing TB control efforts rely on detection, treatment and preventive care. The Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine, developed more than a century ago, offers only partial protection in infants and limited protection in older age groups. No new TB vaccine has been licensed since.

In response, the TB Vaccine Accelerator established the Finance and Access Working Group in February 2025 to support timely and affordable access to new vaccines for adults and adolescents. Several high-burden countries, including Brazil, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the Philippines and South Africa, have begun preparing for future rollout. However, financing and supply readiness remain major concerns.

The report indicates that projected global demand for new vaccines could exceed three billion doses between 2030 and 2040. Supply, however, is expected to fall short in the initial years, risking delays that could reduce the public health impact. The cost of procuring vaccines during that period may range between 5 billion and 8 billion dollars, excluding delivery costs and health system investments.

The report identifies six priority measures to secure access: creating catalytic financing tools, generating evidence at the country level, clarifying domestic and external financing commitments, improving coordination between supply and demand actors, ensuring transparent information sharing and promoting licensing and technology transfer to manufacturers in high-burden regions.

The group will focus on developing practical financing solutions and implementation plans between 2026 and 2027 to support countries in preparing for vaccine introduction.

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