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World Health Organisation (WHO) vaccine experts recommended a full-scale human trial on Friday to test whether the approved Ervebo vaccine provides cross-protection against the Ebola strain spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
While Ervebo effectively targets the common Zaire strain, the WHO’s technical advisory group prioritised it for a Phase III trial against the rare Bundibugyo strain currently exploding across the country.
The recommendation arrives as confirmed DRC cases reached 4,053, with 1,850 deaths reflecting a 46 per cent fatality rate, while health officials warn that the outbreak continues to outpace containment efforts.
Preclinical data from animal studies heavily influenced the expert panel’s decision.
Tests on non-human primates demonstrated a 75 per cent survival rate among vaccinated subjects compared to 25 per cent in control groups, while an unpublished ferret study showed 100 per cent protection against the Bundibugyo strain.
Experts pointed out that the vaccine can skip the first Phase II safety trials and go straight into Phase III testing among contacts of confirmed cases since regulatory bodies have already licensed Ervebo and given it to hundreds of thousands of people throughout Africa without any safety concerns.
Although the advisory group acknowledged that Ervebo might primarily prevent fatal outcomes rather than completely halt transmission, they cautioned that a strain-specific candidate remains the ultimate goal.
Researchers are currently advancing three targeted Bundibugyo vaccines through early-stage clinical trials. Ebola, which spreads through infected bodily fluids and causes severe haemorrhagic fever, has claimed over 15,000 lives across Africa over the past five decades.
