Drugmakers team up to test Ebola vaccines
vention readied a team of to the U.S., they are told to specialists for epidemiolofollow CDC guidelines. gy, infection control and Those without any known communications to travel exposure to Ebola are told to New York on Thursday to monitor their health for night. CDC officials dethe 21-day incubation peclined to comment. riod, according to the or
In a statement, Tom ganization. Shenk, a spokesman for Three people have been Doctors Withour Borders diagnosed with the Ebola said that “as a further virus in the United States. precaution,” a team of disThe first, Thomas Eric LONDON — Leading ease detectives has already Duncan, a Liberian man drugmakers plan to work begun “to actively trace all who traveled from West together to speed develof the patient’s contacts to Africa to Dallas through opment of an Ebola vaccine identify anyone who may Brussels, died on Oct. 8. and hope to produce milbe at potential risk.” Two nurses who treated lions of doses for use next Duringyear.anews conferhim, Nina Pham and Amence Thursday evening, ber Joy Vinson, were subMeanwhile, the EuropeNew York Mayor Bill de sequently diagnosed with an Union on Thursday anBlasio said, “The patient ... the virus. Pham is being nounced $31 million of has gone into a good deal of treated in Maryland and funding for Ebola research. detail with our personnel Vinson is being treated in The money is to go to five with regard to his actions in Atlanta. projects, the EU said, inthe last few days.” The Ebola outbreak in cluding a large-scale clini
Spencer’s girlfriend has West Africa has killed more cal trial. been placed in isolation as a than 4,800 people in three “We’re in a race against precaution, de Blasio said. West African countries, time on Ebola, and we must “Very few people” were in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra address both the emerdirect contact with SpenLeone. gency situation and at the cer, and as a physician he Mali confirmed its first same time have a long-term was “quite aware” to look case of Ebola on Thursday, response, Jose Manuel Barfor symptoms after returnbecoming the sixth West roso, president of the Euroing from West Africa, the African country to be afpean Commission, said in a mayor added. fected by the current outstatement.
Physicians volunteering break. Small outbreaks also U.S. firm Johnson & with Doctors Without Borspread to Senegal and NiJohnson said it aims to ders follow strict protocols geria, but they have since produce at least 1 million as they return from West been declared Ebola-free doses of its two-step vacAfrica. They first travel by the World Health Orcine next year and has through Europe and are ganization. discussed collaboration debriefed in Brussels. Docwith Britain’s GlaxoSmithtors can remain in the field Kline, which is working on for a maximum of four to a rival vaccine. six weeks, and upon return The economics
of
an Ebola vaccine are still unclear, but drug companies are under pressure to respond to the international health crisis.
Ebola is unlikely to generate large profits for Western pharmaceutical companies because it mainly afflicts the poor in Africa, and the need for stockpiles in developed nations will be modest.
Drugmakers, governments, experts and health agencies were to meet at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva this week to come up with possible answers.
Paul Stoffels, head of research at J&J, said it was important to have several experimental vaccine candidates in development, as it is not clear which ones will work. He said resources could later be shifted to a clear winner.
GSK’s Chief Executive Andrew Wi tt y said Wednesday that the meeting of experts in Geneva would include discussion of ways to ensure that companies, including those with no direct involvement in the Ebola work, pulled together to help remove supply bottlenecks.
There is no proven vaccine against the deadly disease and drug companies have been wary in the past of pouring resources into Ebola as previous outbreaks have been small. As a result, much of the research to date has been driven not by concerns about sporadic outbreaks in Africa but by fears in the West that Ebola might become a bioterror weapon.
Clinical tests on GSK’s vaccine and another from NewLink Genetics are underway, while human tests on J&J’s vaccine will start in January.
The WHO hopes that tens of thousands of people in West Africa can start receiving Ebola vaccines in January as part of largescale clinical trials.
Officials in Liberia, worst-hit by the virus, said any vaccine must be affordable and available in sufficient quantities.
The first doses of GSK’s Ebola vaccine are expected to be ready late this year.