Democratic Republic of Congo starts trial of Ebola vaccine Ervebo

Participants in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Tumaini Ebola vaccine trial have received Ervebo vaccinations in Bunia, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday, according to Al Jazeera. Bunia, the capital of northeastern Ituri province, is the outbreak’s epicentre.

Ervebo is already approved against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola. The trial will test whether it also protects against Bundibugyo, the species causing the current outbreak. Protection against Bundibugyo remains a research question, not an established benefit of the vaccine.

Al Jazeera reports that Congo declared the outbreak in May and has since reported more than 9,700 cases and more than 4,600 deaths.

Vaccinating contacts at high risk

Tumaini uses ring vaccination: vaccinating contacts considered at high risk of infection. The Congo-led trial provides a single framework for assessing the safety of several vaccines, how well they protect people against Ebola and their ability to generate an immune response.

The trial will include pregnant women and children aged 12 and older, generating evidence for groups often excluded from clinical trials. The planned number of participants, the comparison used to judge protection and the timetable for results remain unspecified.

Two more vaccine candidates are planned

Tumaini plans to add two vaccine candidates designed specifically for Bundibugyo, one developed by the University of Oxford and the other by Moderna. Both are still undergoing earlier-stage, smaller-scale clinical trials.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which has funded both candidates, said they were expected to enter Tumaini “shortly”. Their inclusion is a planned next step, while Ervebo vaccinations have already begun.