Ebola Vaccine: Encouraging Advancements in Ebola Vaccination Development A Promising Outlook

Ebola Vaccine


 History of Ebola and Vaccine Development Efforts


Ebola virus disease was first identified in 1976 during simultaneous outbreaks in what is now South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, sporadic outbreaks have occurred across Africa. The largest and most complex Ebola outbreak in history was the West Africa outbreak that began in December 2013. This outbreak highlighted the need for a licensed Ebola vaccine. Several vaccine candidates entered clinical trials at unprecedented speed to address this public health emergency.

Early Phase Clinical Trials


The first Ebola vaccination to be tested in humans was the VSV-EBOV vaccine developed by scientists at the Public Health Agency of Canada and licensed to Merck & Co. Phase 1 clinical trials of this vaccine began in September 2014 and showed it to be well tolerated and immunogenic. Phase 2 trials started in October 2014 in Liberia and later expanded to Sierra Leone and Guinea. These trials showed the vaccine provided protection in a ring vaccination strategy where contacts of confirmed cases received the vaccine.

Licensure of the First Ebola Vaccine


In December 2019, the VSV-EBOV vaccine, now called Ebola Vaccine , received regulatory approval from the European Medicines Agency based on the results of the rings vaccination trials. In July 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also approved Ervebo under the brand name Zabdeno. With these approvals, Ervebo became the first and currently only FDA-approved vaccine for the prevention of Ebola virus disease.

Progress of Other Candidate Vaccines


Other vaccine candidates including the Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo vaccines also advanced through clinical trials during and after the West Africa outbreak. Phase 3 trials of the Ad26.ZEBOV vaccine began in Guinea in February 2018. Preliminary results in August 2020 demonstrated high efficacy. Phase 2 trials of MVA-BN-Filo started in Sierra Leone in 2017 and Phase 3 studies are currently ongoing. The continued progress of multiple promising candidates creates options to address future outbreaks.

Stockpiling Strategies and Access Issues
With licensed vaccines now available, international organizations are working on stockpiling strategies. In December 2020, Gavi announced funding to support stockpiling of the Ervebo vaccine. However, access remains a challenge for at-risk populations in remote areas of Africa. Deployment logistics and maintenance of cold chain supply systems pose hurdles. Coordination between vaccine manufacturers, funding agencies and national health systems will be critical to improve access, especially in areas prone to sporadic outbreaks.

Ongoing Research on Next Generation Vaccines
While current vaccines target the Zaire species of the Ebola virus, research continues on extending protection coverage. Investigators are developing pan-filovirus vaccines targeting multiple species of Ebola and Marburg viruses. Another focus area is thermostable formulations that could facilitate delivery in challenging environments without refrigeration. Longer term immunity is also an objective to reduce vaccination frequency. Upcoming results from ongoing clinical studies will guide the next steps in Ebola vaccination development efforts.

The licensing of the first Ebola vaccination marks a critical milestone. However, more work is still needed for equitable access especially in remote outbreak prone regions. Continued progress on next generation vaccines holds promise to provide broader protection against this deadly virus. Coordinated global efforts offer hope to better control future Ebola outbreaks through vaccination.

 

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About Author:

Ravina Pandya, Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravina-pandya-1a3984191)

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