TORONTO (AP) — An experimental Canadian-made Ebola vaccine that has shown promise in tests on primates is beginning clinical trials on humans in the U.S.
The vaccine will be tested on healthy individuals Monday to see how well it works, whether there are side effects and what the proper dosage is, Health Minister Rona Ambrose said.
“The Canadian vaccine provides great hope and promise because it has shown to be 100 percent effective in preventing the spread of the Ebola virus when tested on animals,” she said.
Studies in primates have shown this vaccine works both to prevent infection when given before exposure, and to increase survival chances when given quickly after exposure.
A small U.S. company called NewLink Genetics holds the license for the vaccine and the trials are set to begin in a lab in Maryland. Ambrose said the results are expected in December.
NewLink said earlier this month that at least five clinical trials involving the vaccine, known as VSV-EBOV, would soon be underway in the United States, Germany, Switzerland and in an unnamed African country that is not battling Ebola.
