A new experimental vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has entered clinical trials in Uganda as the Democratic Republic of Congo battles a major outbreak that has killed thousands of people.
The ChAdOx1 vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, entered Phase Ib clinical trials in Uganda on October 6, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Wessam Mankoula, who leads the continental incident management support team for the Ebola response, announced the development during a virtual briefing on Thursday.
The vaccine previously entered Phase Ia trials in Britain in July, marking an early step towards developing protection against the Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine or treatment has yet been approved.
Mankoula said a second experimental vaccine, developed by Moderna, had also received ethical approval to begin Phase Ib trials in Uganda. Its initial clinical trials began in Canada in August.
The developments come as DR Congo struggles to contain an Ebola outbreak that has spread across seven provinces since it was declared in May.
According to the country’s Health Ministry, the outbreak has resulted in 8,728 confirmed infections and 4,205 deaths.
The affected provinces include Haut-Uele, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Bas-Uele, Tshopo and South-Ubangi.
Concerns about regional transmission have intensified after neighbouring Kenya reported its first imported Ebola case this week. The patient, who had travelled from DR Congo, subsequently died.
In August, DR Congo received an allocation of 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine from the global Ebola vaccine stockpile.
Although Ervebo is approved for the Zaire strain of Ebola, it is not approved for protection against Bundibugyo, the strain responsible for the current outbreak.
Africa CDC said more than 7,700 healthcare personnel and other frontline workers had been vaccinated as part of the response.
Separately, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations announced a $16.5 million partnership in August with African pharmaceutical company Minapharm Group to advance another vaccine candidate targeting Bundibugyo Ebola.
The latest trials represent an important step towards addressing a gap in Ebola prevention, although researchers must establish the experimental vaccines’ safety and effectiveness before they can be considered for wider use.
Oxford University confirmed that the first volunteers received the experimental vaccine in Masaka, Uganda, on October 6. Approximately 620,000 investigational doses have also been stockpiled through a partnership with the Serum Institute of India, potentially supporting future research and emergency
