Health Canada authorizes Moderna to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial of an experimental mRNA Ebola vaccine in Canada, according to multiple reports. The vaccine candidate is designed to target the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is circulating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and is linked to the region’s current outbreak. Outlets describe the study as focused on early-stage evaluation, including assessing safety, identifying side effects, and determining an appropriate dosage range.
Several sources note that the vaccine uses the same mRNA platform technology employed in Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Bloomberg and other outlets also describe the trial as the second Ebola vaccine candidate to enter clinical trials, following authorization in the United Kingdom, and frame it as part of the expanding response to the DRC outbreak. Quartz reports the trial is supported by funding from CEPI of up to $50 million. Estimates cited across reports indicate the outbreak has grown substantially, with thousands of confirmed cases and significant numbers of deaths. The Canadian authorization makes Canada an additional site for human testing of the vaccine candidate.
