Researchers in Canada and the United Kingdom are beginning human trials for experimental vaccines as the Democratic Republic of the Congo confronts the largest recorded outbreak of the Bundibugyo Ebola strain.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The World Health Organization is seeking additional volunteers for expanding clinical trials of experimental vaccines and preventive treatments as cases and deaths rise during the largest recorded Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Researchers have been testing potential therapies against the Ebola Bundibugyo virus in ferrets and monkeys, with the findings expected to be analyzed by WHO as first-in-human vaccine trials begin.
Clinical studies are underway in Canada and the United Kingdom, where the first of four vaccine candidates has entered human testing. The experimental products are being developed by biotechnology companies Moderna and Public Health Vaccines, the nonprofit International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and the University of Oxford, according to the BMJ.
WHO officials said Tuesday that increasing enrollment will require additional clinical teams and testing locations because participants must be closely monitored throughout the process.
“We are trying to ramp up the enrolment,” Vasee Moorthy, acting lead of WHO’s Research and Development Blueprint, said. “Because they’re a clinical trial, we have to have safe, monitoring of the people that are enrolled in the trial. And that does take time to have more and more teams and more sites enrolling.”
A separate clinical trial is underway in the DRC’s Ituri province to evaluate a possible post-exposure prophylaxis intended to stop the disease from developing after someone has been exposed to the virus.
The DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research is leading the study alongside an international consortium of research organizations and outbreak-response partners.
More than 25 patients have enrolled in the trial, which is examining whether a 10-day course of oral medication can prevent illness in confirmed high-risk contacts. Researchers expect to need additional volunteers as the study progresses.
As of Aug. 1, WHO had recorded 3,748 cases in the outbreak, including 1,657 deaths and 708 recoveries.
The outbreak is the 17th major Ebola event documented since the virus was identified in 1976. It is only the third known outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain.
Unlike some other Ebola variants, Bundibugyo Ebola currently has no licensed vaccine or approved treatment. The ongoing animal studies, vaccine trials and post-exposure research are intended to determine whether new medical tools can safely prevent infection or reduce the severity of the disease.
Original article
Comments