Two new Ebola vaccine candidates to join DR Congo clinical trial
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The WHO says two new vaccine candidates will be added to a clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is facing the largest Ebola outbreak in its history. It would be the first time vaccines designed for the Bundibugyo virus are evaluated during an outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that two new Ebola vaccine candidates will be added to a clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The decision follows a recommendation by its independent Technical Advisory Group on Candidate Vaccines Prioritization, which the WHO convened. The group based its advice on available evidence.
The candidates are ChAdOx1, developed by the University of Oxford with the Serum Institute of India, and mRNA-1469, developed by the US company Moderna. According to the WHO, it will be the first time vaccines specifically designed for the Bundibugyo virus are evaluated during an outbreak.
The DRC has been dealing with an outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo species for nearly six months. It is the largest in the country's history. As of 1 November, there were more than 10,500 confirmed cases and 5,126 deaths.
The vaccines will join the Tumaini trial, named after the Swahili word for "hope", which the WHO supports. It was launched on 23 October in Bunia, capital of Ituri province, which remains the epicentre of the outbreak. The Ervebo vaccine, used against the Zaire species, is already being tested for effectiveness against Bundibugyo. The two new candidates will enter the trial after national approvals.
Tumaini uses a ring-vaccination approach focused on contacts of confirmed cases. Four rings have been set up and more are being prepared.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said vaccines alone will not end the outbreak, but "they could become a powerful new tool for bringing it under control".
