Coefficient Giving grant enables MedAccess to explore access solutions for future TB vaccines

MedAccess today announced a new $580,000 grant from Coefficient Giving to support work to accelerate access to potential new vaccines against tuberculosis (TB) when they become available.

The funding means MedAccess can undertake detailed analysis of market barriers that could stop people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from accessing vaccines. It will use this analysis to start designing innovative finance solutions to overcome these barriers.

Tuberculosis claimed an estimated 1.23 million lives in 2024[1], making it the world’s leading infectious killer. More than two thirds of these deaths occurred in eight LMICs[2]. Beyond its human toll, TB places a huge burden on economies, keeping people out of work, pushing families into poverty and putting pressure on health systems. A 2026 analysis estimated that TB costs the global economy almost US$2 trillion each year, with the heaviest impact falling on countries already carrying the highest burden of disease[3].

New scientific breakthroughs could significantly reduce TB’s deadly toll. More than a dozen new TB vaccine candidates are currently in clinical development, with several already in late-stage trials. These vaccines could offer better protection for adolescents and adults, who account for most TB transmission. If successful, they could become important new tools in the fight against TB.

However, scientific breakthroughs alone will not save lives. TB has a long history of effective medicines taking years to reach the people who need them most. Even when better tools become available, high prices, weak demand signals, fragmented funding and unpredictable procurement can slow their uptake in high-burden countries. MedAccess is working to tackle the barriers that have too often delayed access to new TB tools, helping to ensure future vaccines reach people sooner.

Working alongside global partners, the organisation will explore how innovative financing and market-shaping approaches can make vaccines more affordable, encourage reliable supply and support rapid introduction in countries with a high burden of disease. This includes assessing future demand, understanding how countries will finance vaccine programmes and identifying where additional funding or market mechanisms may be needed, including for countries that do not qualify for traditional donor support. Through its role as co-chair of the Catalytic Instrument Task Force, part of the WHO TB Vaccine Accelerator’s Finance and Access Working Group, MedAccess is helping prepare the ground for equitable access to new TB vaccines from day one.

“New TB vaccines have the potential to save millions of lives,” said Michael Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of MedAccess. “But history shows that innovation does not automatically lead to access. If we wait until a vaccine is approved to start thinking about affordability, supply and financing, we will have waited too long. This generous funding from Coefficient Giving allows us to start that work now, helping ensure that countries affected most by TB are not left at the back of the queue when new vaccines arrive.”

The grant is being made by Coefficient Giving to MedAccess Trust and will support an initial phase of work by MedAccess to explore and design potential solutions that could accelerate access to future TB vaccines.

Coefficient Giving is a philanthropic funder and advisor. To help others as much as it can, Coefficient works with a range of donors who share its commitment to cost-effective, high-impact giving.

References

[1] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis Accessed July 2026

[2] https://www.who.int/teams/global-programme-on-tuberculosis-and-lung-health/tb-reports/global-tuberculosis-report-2025/tb-disease-burden/1-1-tb-incidence Accessed July 2026

[3] https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/13/1/ofag014/8437971 Accessed July 2026