Talks are underway between authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the World Health Organization to expedite the start of a multi-armed Phase 3 clinical trial of vaccines geared towards helping to contain spread of the Bundibugyo virus in the northeast of the country, which the director-general of the global health agency warned Wednesday is on track to become the largest Ebola outbreak on record.
“It’s already the second-biggest Ebola epidemic on record, and it’s moving faster than any previous Ebola outbreak. At its current pace, it’s on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news conference in Geneva.
The first vaccine to be pushed into the field for study will be Merck’s Ervebo, a vaccine that targets a different species of the virus, Ebola Zaire. An expert panel that advises the WHO was initially reluctant to recommend its use, but an increasing number of studies in animals and in people have persuaded it that the vaccine could offer some cross-protection against Bundibugyo, and should be tested to see if it could help.
“WHO has recommended inclusion of the vaccine in a Phase 3 trial, which we hope to start as soon as possible,” said Tedros. “We do not know whether this vaccine is efficacious against Bundibugyo disease in humans. The Phase 3 trial is the best way to ensure a safe and effective vaccine is available as soon as possible for this and future outbreaks.”
