Clinical trials of new BCG vaccine for TB to start soon: Former CSIR chief

Nagpur: Clinical trials of a new Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) will soon start in India, former director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Dr Shekhar Mande said on Friday.

He was speaking at the ongoing Indian Science Congress here.

Earlier in the day, Dr Mande gave a presentation on Biophysical Methods in Tuberculosis Research’ and spoke about how technology has helped doctors and researchers understand TB better, paving ways to combat the infectious disease.

The CSIR is working towards rapid diagnosis, vaccination and treatment to eliminate the bacterial disease from India by 2025 as envisioned by the government, he said, speaking to reporters later.

“We are mainly focussing on new medicines and drugs for tuberculosis. We are doing background work and setting targets on research for prevention of tuberculosis,” he said

The National Institute of Tuberculosis Research, Chennai, will start clinical trials of the new BCG vaccine for TB, he said.