Ervebo trial against Bundibugyo Ebola strain begins in DR Congo
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
A clinical trial of the Ervebo vaccine has begun in Bunia, Ituri, to assess its ability to protect against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is responsible for the outbreak in DR Congo. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the first doses were administered on Friday as part of the Tumaini trial.
The first clinical trial to assess the Ervebo vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has begun in Bunia, Ituri province, according to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The vaccine is already approved against the Zaire strain, but its effectiveness against Bundibugyo must be measured through the Tumaini trial, a name meaning “hope” in Swahili.
The Tumaini trial can assess the safety, efficacy and immune response of several vaccines at the same time. It uses ring vaccination, which involves immunising people who have been in contact with confirmed cases and those at high risk of infection, according to the WHO.
Two candidates specifically designed against Bundibugyo are due to join the trial soon. The first, developed by the University of Oxford, uses a ChAdOx1 adenoviral vector. The second, developed by US company Moderna, is based on messenger RNA technology. Both projects are funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, according to the organisation.
The launch follows the announcement of the start of the Tumaini Ebola vaccine clinical trial in DR Congo, published on 23 October. The evaluation is intended to help determine whether Ervebo provides cross-protection against the strain responsible for the outbreak, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
