The first human trial of an experimental Ebola vaccine has delivered promising results, according to the US National Institute of Health (NIH).
"On safety and on the ability to produce an appropriate immune response we can call this trial an unqualified success," Dr Anthony Fauci of the NIH told the BBC.
However, he stressed that this was only the early part of the first phase of the trial and much more testing was required to establish the vaccine's long-term safety and efficacy.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There is currently no vaccine or cure for Ebola and the unprecedented scale of the current outbreak in West Africa has prompted pharmaceutical companies and health organisations to fast track the development of safe and effective treatments.
The vaccine has been jointly produced by the NIH and the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and is one of three currently in development.
In the first phase of the trial, all 20 American volunteers who received the vaccine developed antibodies to the virus and none suffered any major side effects. However, some patients did develop a fever in response to the drug, but it "resolved within one day", according to scientists.
GSK has reportedly made a request for an indemnity agreement to protect itself against unforeseen side effects that could develop in the future.
"It's important to remember that these data are the first piece in the jigsaw and we're continuing to gather other important information," Dr Moncef Slaoui, chairman of global vaccines at GSK told The Guardian.
If the results of the following phases of the trial are positive, thousands of volunteers, including healthcare workers, will receive the vaccine in West Africa in early 2015, he said.
Almost 5,700 people are known to have died from the disease and almost 15,000 have been infected across the region, though actual figures are believed to be much higher.
-
Political cartoons for November 29Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include Kash Patel's travel perks, believing in Congress, and more
-
Nigel Farage: was he a teenage racist?Talking Point Farage’s denials have been ‘slippery’, but should claims from Reform leader’s schooldays be on the news agenda?
-
Pushing for peace: is Trump appeasing Moscow?In Depth European leaders succeeded in bringing themselves in from the cold and softening Moscow’s terms, but Kyiv still faces an unenviable choice
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
