Merck's Pivotal VSV-EBOV Vaccine Candidate Study Begins -- In Guinea. . . Tomorrow.

As our regular readers only too well know, we believe that Merck likely has the most efficacious Ebola vaccine candidate (at least most efficacious -- among those in highest state of readiness), so it makes sense that it will be tested first, in Guinea -- to prevent outbreaks among people known to have had contact in the wild with any given confirmed Ebola patient. Sadly, Basse Guinée is still seeing significant numbers of new cases, and so that's where the trial will begin.

Here's a good piece on it all from PharmaTimes:

. . . .The World Health Organisation, the Health Ministry of Guinea, Médecins Sans Frontières, Epicentre and The Norwegian Institute of Public Health will test VSV-EBOV for efficacy and effectiveness in preventing the killer disease.

Vaccination will take place in areas of Basse Guinée, which has the highest number of cases in the country, and the strategy adopted will be “ring vaccination”, which involves identifying a newly diagnosed case of Ebola – the ‘index case’ – and then tracing of the patient’s contacts, who are then vaccinated.

The dual objectives of the trial are to assess if VSV-EBOV protects the contacts who were vaccinated and if this will successfully create a buffer around the index case to prevent further spread of infection. . . .

Here's to hoping -- that VSV-EBOV. . . is the Lord. . . of the Rings. Quiet Friday nights -- to one and all, now.