Friday, November 6, 2026 - The World Health Organization has recommended adding two experimental Ebola vaccines to an ongoing clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as research into treatments for the disease advances.
The vaccines, developed by the University of Oxford in
partnership with the Serum Institute of India and Moderna, are designed to
protect against the Bundibugyo virus responsible for the current outbreak.
The recommendation by WHO's independent Technical Advisory
Group on Candidate Vaccines Prioritisation marks the first time vaccines
specifically developed against the Bundibugyo virus will be evaluated during an
outbreak.
The two candidates, ChAdOx1 and mRNA-1469, will join the
Tumaini clinical trial following national approvals.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the
development demonstrated the importance of scientific research and partnerships
in responding to disease outbreaks.
"The fact that these vaccines are ready to enter
clinical trials is a testament to the power of science and partnership,"
Tedros said.
He thanked scientists, health workers and partners in the
DRC and other countries for advancing the research. He also acknowledged people
participating in the trial, saying their involvement would generate evidence
that could help save lives.
"Vaccines alone will not end this outbreak, but they
could become a powerful new tool for bringing it under control," he said.
The Tumaini trial is led by the DRC's National Institute of
Biomedical Research in collaboration with the University of Antwerp in Belgium
and other international health research organisations.
The partners include WHO, Epicentre, Médecins Sans
Frontières, the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Antwerp and the Africa
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The DRC Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public
Health are also involved in the research.
Funding investments by the Coalition for Epidemic
Preparedness Innovations have supported the rapid development of the candidate
vaccines.
The trial is designed to evaluate several vaccine candidates
within one study using a ring vaccination approach.
Under this method, people who have been in contact with
confirmed cases of Bundibugyo virus disease are enrolled for vaccination.
The approach builds on research conducted during the West
Africa Ebola outbreak about a decade ago.
A landmark trial in Guinea established the effectiveness of
Ervebo against the Zaire ebolavirus, another virus that causes Ebola disease.
Ervebo is the first vaccine being evaluated in the current
Tumaini trial to assess its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus.
WHO said four vaccination rings have already been
established, with several others being prepared. The rings include contacts of
people who became ill or died from the disease.
Meanwhile, research into possible treatments is also
progressing through the WHO-sponsored PARTNERS trial, which was launched in
July.
The study is evaluating whether the monoclonal antibody
MBP134, the antiviral drug remdesivir or a combination of both can improve
survival among patients with confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease.
Maftivimab is also expected to be added to the trial to
assess its potential as a treatment.
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