Marburg vaccine shows promise in human trials amid outbreak

An vaccine against the Marburg virus shows promise in the first Phase 1 human trials and could one day be used to stop the disease, according to the NIH.

Data from this trial recently lancetduring the Marburg virus outbreak in Ghana and Equatorial Guinea.

3 people infected in the prefecture epidemic in ghana, was declared closed in September. Two people died.

Equatorial Guinea confirmed its first outbreak of the disease on Monday and appears to be experiencing a larger outbreak. Nine deaths and 16 suspected cases have been reported overall, according to the WHO, although one of eight samples sent from the country’s province of Kientem tested positive for the Marburg virus.

WHO said it has deployed experts, personal protective equipment and other supplies for the emergency response.

“Marburg is highly contagious” comfortable R. Moeti, MD, MPH, WHO Regional Director for Africa said in a release. “Thanks to the quick and decisive action by the Equatorial Guinea authorities in confirming the disease, the emergency response can quickly go full steam ahead, saving lives and stopping the virus as quickly as possible.”

According to the WHO, the disease caused by the Marburg virus, which belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola, begins “suddenly”, with many patients developing bleeding symptoms within about a week.

Patients can receive supportive care, including oral or intravenous hydration and treatment of certain symptoms, but there is no licensed Marburg virus vaccine or treatment, and the disease has a fatality rate of 88%. WHO points out.

A range of potential blood products, immunotherapies and vaccines are in development, including the cAd3-Marburg vaccine developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and tested in a phase 1 first human trial.

In an open-label, dose-escalation study, published results showed that the vaccine elicited strong antibody responses in 95% of participants, including 70% who maintained immune responses for 48 weeks or longer. I was.

“These findings represent an important step in the development of vaccines for emergency deployment against re-emerging pathogens that have recently expanded their range. new region,” the researchers wrote in the study.

For this study, researchers enrolled 40 healthy adults at the Walter Reed Army Research Institute Clinical Trials Center between October 9, 2018 and January 31, 2019, and 20 were given a 1-hour received a single intramuscular dose of cAd3-Marburg vaccine at ×10^Ten Another 20 receiving a single vaccine dose in particle units (pu) and 1 x 10¹¹ Pu.

The vaccine was judged to be safe, well tolerated and immunogenic, with no serious adverse health effects associated with vaccination. Of the 40 participants, 37 (93%) completed follow-up visits, 2 moved out of the area, and 1 failed follow-up.

The most common side effects were injection site pain and tenderness (68%), fatigue (45%), headache (43%), and myalgia (35%).

Thirty-eight of 40 participants (95%) had glycoprotein-specific antibodies 4 weeks after vaccination and remained elevated after 48 weeks.

Several vaccines have been tested in the past, but none have effectively provided long-term protection, so experts said the results were promising.

“In areas of Africa where Marburg vaccine is most needed, a single-dose vaccine that can protect those who receive it for the long term will be an important part of quelling the outbreak,” the NIH said in a press release. rice field.

Future trials of the cAd3-Marburg vaccine are planned in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and the United States, the agency said.

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