New Ebola vaccine trial launches as outbreak spreads in DR Congo

Key points

• 3,748 cases, including 1,657 deaths and 708 recoveries, as of 1 August, according to WHO
• While Ebola vaccines exist, trials for the first ever Bundibugyo species-specific candidate vaccine began in the UK on 24 July, with a second starting in Canada this week
• Clinical trials of medicine and treatment options are rolling out in Ituri province, the restive epicentre of the current outbreak 
• A new 100-bed treatment centre was inaugurated in Bunia, capital of Ituri

Searching for solutions

Compared to previous Ebola outbreaks, trials started more quickly this time as protocols had been written before the current one was declared in DRC in mid-May, said Vasee Moorthy, acting lead of WHO’s R&D Blueprint, a global platform for research and development collaboration to respond to epidemics and pandemics.

Despite ongoing efforts, there are still no proven safe and efficacious treatment, preventive or vaccination options for the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, Dr. Moorthy told reporters in Geneva.

However, it would likely still be several months before more definite conclusions could be drawn from the ongoing trials, he said.

Vaccine trials

A vaccine trial in the United Kingdom entered phase one on 24 July, with another to begin in Canada in coming days, Dr. Moorthy said.

Both trials are being conducted on ferrets and monkeys, after which results would be analysed by WHO before deciding on whether to move to the subsequent phase.

New data has also emerged in animal studies on the licensed vaccine Ervebo, targeting a different Ebola strain, according to WHO.

The UN health agency’s technical advisory group convened last Friday and is expected to publish recommendations later this week.

New clinical trials

A clinical trial of a potential post-exposure prophylaxis – or preventative – medicine is underway in Ituri province.

Led by the DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research with an international consortium of research and outbreak-response partners, the trial has enrolled over 25 patients to evaluate whether an oral medicine given for 10 days to confirmed high risk contacts could prevent onset of disease. 

Since the outbreak was declared, three testing sites have opened in Ituri province and a fourth is set to open later this week where patients can enrol in trials and be monitored in safe conditions to see if the medicines are effective, Dr. Moorthy said.

“We are trying to ramp up the enrolment,” he 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.”

Watch the full press conference here.

What’s the UN doing?

Here is a look at some ongoing Ebola response initiatives:

• The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, is supporting screening, infection prevention, risk communication and provision of essential hygiene items
• At the DRC-Uganda border, a mobile lab supported by WHO and the World Food Programme (WFP) delivers Ebola test results in around one hour, cutting delays and bringing lifesaving diagnostics closer to more than 94,000 people
• The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) operates nurseries for youngsters of Ebola-affected families
• The MONUSCO peacekeeping mission in DRC protects civilians, conducts information campaigns for local communities and has increased presence around medical facilities to support WHO teams and partners (check out our interview with the current force commander here or right below)

• UN aid coordination office OCHA is releasing up to $60 million to support response and preparedness efforts in DRC and neighboring countries through the UN’s Global Emergency Fund, CERF

Learn more about the UN’s Ebola outbreak response here.