Health Canada approves clinical trial for Moderna’s mRNA Ebola vaccine

Health Canada has authorized pharmaceutical company Moderna to move forward with a clinical trial for an mRNA vaccine targeting the Ebola virus strain currently fuelling an explosive outbreak abroad.

Canada is now the second country to authorize a Phase I clinical trial for a Bundibugyo virus vaccine candidate after the U.K., according to federal officials in a news release.

There is currently no licensed vaccine or treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease, the strain of Ebola disease that is responsible for the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There have been no cases of Ebola disease in Canada.

Participants in the authorized Phase I clinical trial will “be given a dose of the candidate vaccine and researchers will assess whether the participants’ immune system starts making antibodies to the Bundibugyo virus.”

They will not be injected with the virus itself, Health Canada says.

Following the completion of the trial, Moderna is required to “conduct additional clinical trial phases before it could seek approval from Health Canada for the vaccine.”

Eastern Congo’s remote Ituri province has experienced the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease, with 3,802 cases and 1,707 deaths being recorded as of Tuesday, according to the latest government update.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17.

On May 28, the Canadian federal government announced it would provide $8 million in international assistance funding to support the outbreak.

As of May 27, the Canadian government requires travellers from Ebola-affected regions to self-isolate for 21 days, with immigration authorities temporarily suspending applications from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Uganda, effective until Aug. 29.

All travellers are required to be assessed by border officials. Those who have symptoms will be transferred to hospital for further medical assessment.

Government officials stated on May 26 that on average, 350 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan come to Canada each week.

The majority of passengers arrive in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver airports, with about 60 per cent of flights comprised of Canadians or permanent residents and 40 per cent foreign nationals.