Merck Sharp and Dohme reports positive trial data for new Ebola vaccine

Merck Sharp and Dohme has reported encouraging efficacy data from a phase III trial of its new vaccine for the Ebola virus.

The investigational Ebola vaccine candidate, rVSV-ZEBOV, was found to have 100 percent efficacy in an analysis of interim data from a phase III ring vaccination trial that was conducted in Guinea.

All vaccinated individuals were protected against Ebola virus infection within six to ten days of vaccination, with more than 4,000 participants having received the therapy as part of this innovative trial.

The results from this continuing study, as well as other studies already underway and future trials that are yet to be initiated, will be used to support worldwide regulatory submissions.

Dr Roger Perlmutter, president of Merck Research Laboratories, said: "The extraordinary efforts of the team in Guinea and other experts have yielded interim results that suggest a potential role for our rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine in the fight against Ebola disease.”

The rVSV-ZEBOV was licensed from NewLink Genetics in late 2014 as a means of combating the ongoing Ebola outbreak in west Africa.