An Ebola vaccine could be ready in as little time as 2 months from now as GlaxoSmithKline have been given the go-ahead to skip normal medical tests in order to rush through the experimental vaccine.
There will be no safety data collected on the vaccine in an effort to allow doctors to administer the vaccine to the general public. The lack of regulation and lack of safety checks associated with this vaccine has been described as “unprecedented” by Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO.
MedicalDaily.com reports:
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Final-stage trials of experimental Ebola vaccines will begin in January or February in the worst-hit West African countries as scientists and drugmakers race to block the deadly disease, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
If effective, the shots will be available for deployment a few months later.
Nearly 90 experts from vaccine manufacturers, regulatory agencies and health ministries met at WHO headquarters to review data from initial safety trials and finalise plans for pivotal Phase III clinical trials in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
“It is my understanding that no major safety signals have been reported to date,” WHO director-general Margaret Chan told the talks in opening remarks obtained by Reuters.
“We all want the momentum and sense of urgency to continue,” she said. “Too many health care workers are still getting infected, including nationals and doctors and nurses from foreign medical teams.”
