Merck Sharp & Dohme testing Ebola vaccine in Sierra Leone

Merck Sharp & Dohme has announced that a vaccine it has developed to help fight the Ebola virus in conjunction with NewLink Genetics is now being tested in a late-stage clinical trial in Sierra Leone.

The effectiveness of the injection – known as rVSV-ZEBOV-GP, or V920 – is being trialled among 6,000 healthcare professionals in West Africa, led by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation, the Sierra College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

These latest tests will be phase II and phase III trials to assess the safety and efficiency of the vaccine when being administered as part of an Ebola treatment programme.

Chief public health and science officer for Merck Vaccines Mark Feinberg commented: "Fighting Ebola remains a global health priority and Merck is committed to advancing the development of our and NewLink's vaccine candidate as part of our overall response to the crisis."