The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has opened a clinical trial to test whether Ebola vaccines can protect people from Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for the country’s current outbreak.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that trial participants had been vaccinated in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province. The DRC is leading the study with WHO support.
Called Tumaini, the trial gives researchers one framework to assess multiple candidates for safety, effectiveness and immune response. Its first candidate is Ervebo, approved for Ebola disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus. WHO says protection against Bundibugyo has not been established.
The study will vaccinate contacts of Ebola cases, prioritizing people assessed as facing elevated infection risk. Its enrollment rules also cover pregnant women and children ages 12 and older, bringing groups often underrepresented in clinical research into the trial. WHO emergencies director Chikwe Ihekwezu said the study is intended to establish whether its vaccines can protect people at risk.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) said it funded two additional candidates designed for Bundibugyo: one from the University of Oxford and another from Moderna. CEPI said both are expected to enter the trial shortly.
Al Jazeera reported that the DRC declared the outbreak in May and had reported more than 9,700 cases and more than 4,600 deaths. WHO raised its second-highest alert by declaring a public health emergency of international concern. EconoTimes previously covered the trial’s launch.
CEPI said the two Bundibugyo-specific candidates are expected to join Tumaini shortly; it did not provide a date.
