After 40 years since the first outbreak of the Ebola virus, there is finally a successful experimental Ebola vaccine that could be available by as early as 2018. On December 22, The Lancet Medical Journal released results from a trial showing that the vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV, provides 100% protection from the Ebola virus.
The vaccine is now going through an approval process to be fast-tracked for use. Merck Sharp & Dohme, the vaccine’s manufacturer, received breakthrough therapy designation from the United State’s Food and Drug Administration and PRIME status from the European Medicines Agency, both of which allow for a faster review process once the vaccine is submitted.
The trials were conducted in Guinea, one of the countries most affected by the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Participants were given a single dose of the vaccine beginning in March 2015. Of the nearly 6,000 people who received the vaccine, all were free of the ebola virus 10 days later.