Ebola Virus Vaccines Pass Safety Trial; Set for Release Soon?

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The two experimental Ebola vaccines from a biotech start-up, NewLink Genetics Corp, and GlaxoSmithKline PLC appear to be safe based on a 600-people trial in Liberia, says the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease last Thursday. No word yet on release date as trial continues.

According to Yahoo, the two vaccines are being tested for safety and efficacy by administering a single injection of each on over 600 people in Liberia. This is a clinical trial that is sponsored by a branch of NIH, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The results of the trial were found to be promising as the research advances to the next phase known as efficacy testing. In this stage, additional volunteers will be injected with a dummy shot, the GSK vaccine, or the NewLink Vaccine, and carefully monitored to see if their immune systems will be producing anti-Ebola antibodies.

"We are grateful to the Liberian people who volunteered for this important clinical trial and encouraged by the study results," NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said in the Yahoo article.  "Now we must move forward to adapt and expand the study so that ultimately, we can determine whether these experimental vaccines can protect against Ebola virus disease, and thus be used in future Ebola outbreaks."

The researchers will continue accepting trial volunteers of about 1,500 people until late April. They want to see more women volunteers to ensure that the results of the research will not be affected by differences in gender immune responses or side effects. To determine how long the immunity response will last, all volunteers will be monitored for at least a year and have blood samples taken 6 and 12 months after their vaccination.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the researchers planned to test 27,000 individuals, especially health workers in Liberia, who are at a high risk for developing the disease. However, since no new Ebola case has been confirmed since Feb 19, the leaders of the trial are thinking of expanding the research to other Ebola-ravaged countries in West Africa.

As of today, there is still no vaccine authorized to fight the Ebola virus. According to an article in Medical Xpress, the world Health Organization has given its permission to hasten the vaccine clinical trials for the deadly disease. Scientists have shared that the rate of immune response that is essential to protect people against Ebola is still unknown.