The Serum Institute of India and the Gates Medical Research Institute announced plans on Saturday to scale up manufacturing of a new tuberculosis vaccine candidate following Phase 3 trial success for the M72 shot. The Pune-based manufacturer will prepare production lines to supply low- and middle-income countries.

Tuberculosis remains the world's deadliest infectious disease, killing more than a million people each year, according to the World Health Organization. The only widely used vaccine, BCG, dates from 1921 and offers limited protection to adults.

Executives at the Serum Institute, the world's largest vaccine maker by volume, said the company's capacity would enable rapid distribution once regulatory clearances are secured. The Gates Medical Research Institute, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, coordinated late-stage trials across sites in Africa and Asia.

Public health specialists have described a new TB vaccine as one of the most significant potential advances in global health. Modelling published by the WHO estimated that an effective adult vaccine could prevent millions of deaths over the coming decades and ease the burden of drug-resistant strains.

A Serum Institute spokesperson said the company aimed to make the vaccine affordable and accessible in high-burden countries, pending review by regulators and the WHO's prequalification process.