text_1: Final trial results confirm Ebola vaccine provides high protection against disease
text_2: This news release discusses the results of a World Health Organization-led study of an experimental Ebola vaccine manufactured by Merck, Sharpe & Dohme. The study tested the effectiveness of the vaccine (currently referred to as rVSV-ZEBOV) among individuals who had come in contact with people diagnosed with Ebola within three weeks prior to the diagnosis, including contacts of those contacts, using a “ring vaccination” approach similar to that used to fight smallpox in the mid- to late 20th century. Among the 5,837 individuals who were vaccinated immediately after assignment to the study, none developed Ebola 10 days or more after being enrolled. In comparison, there were 23 Ebola cases identified 10 days or more in the group of 4,507 assigned to either a delayed vaccination (16 cases) or no vaccination (7 cases). The release delivers a good description of harms, is written in a balanced and non-sensational tone, and provides an overview of next steps for the vaccine. The release would have been improved with some reference to cost and the other Ebola vaccines under development by major pharmaceutical competitors. Health organizations worldwide have been scrambling to develop an effective vaccine against Ebola since the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa which killed more than 11,300 people. Merck received “Breakthrough Therapy Designation” status in 2016 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and “PRIME” status from the European Medicines Agency for this closely watched vaccine. The “breakthrough” and PRIME status speeds up the review process for the vaccine once it is submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and/or the European Medicines Agency for approval.