Johnson & Johnson Starts Clinical Trial of Ebola Vaccine

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced that it has started a Phase 1, first-in-human clinical trial of a preventive Ebola vaccine. It is being led by the Oxford Vaccine Group, and the first volunteers have already received their first dose of the vaccine.

As quoted in the press release:

The Phase 1, first-in-human study will evaluate the safety and tolerability of a prime-boost vaccine regimen, in which patients are first given a dose to prime the immune system, and then a boost intended to enhance the immune response over time. The immune response generated by the regimen will also be evaluated longer term. Different regimens combining the vaccine components or placebo will be studied in 72 healthy adult volunteers. Additional clinical studies are planned to begin in the United States later this month and soon after in Africa.

Dr. Matthew Snape from the Oxford Vaccine Group commented:

We’ve been working at an unprecedented pace together with our partners to significantly accelerate our efforts. Initiating this study in the space of eight weeks represents a critical leap forward in being able to rapidly develop an Ebola prime-boost vaccine regimen, and these results will be vital to the design of future studies in broader populations.

Click here to read the full Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) press release.