Pune, July 16 -- The Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) on Thursday signed an agreement with the Serum Institute of India Private Limited (SII) to manufacture a novel tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate M72/AS01E.

Currently in a Phase 3 clinical trial, M72/AS01E has the potential to be the first new TB vaccine to be introduced in more than a century - a potential breakthrough against a disease that remains the world's leading infectious cause of death and disproportionately impacts low- and middle-income countries.

This partnership marks a critical step toward ensuring that, if approved, the vaccine can be produced at scale and made available to adults and adolescents in countries with a high TB burden as soon as possible.

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