Makerere University Lung Institute Gets Approval to Import 1200 Doses of Ebola Vaccines for Trials

Uganda National Drug Authority (NDA) has granted Makerere University Lung Institute importation authorization for Ebola (Sudan Strain) Vaccine for use in the “Ring Vaccination Trial”.

“The NDA has given approval for the Importation of 1200 doses of Vaccines to be used in the Solidarity/TOKOMEZA Ebola Vaccine Trial,” the institute announced Monday.

Makerere University Lung Institute is a champion in innovative lung health research that integrates disease prevention, clinical care and training in sub-Saharan Africa.

The institute was designated to lead the Ebola Vaccine trial for the Sudan strain sponsored by the Ministry of Health.

NDA spokesperson, Abiaz Rwamiwiri, told SoftPower News NDA has granted importation authorization for the Ebola (Sudan Strain) Vaccine from the Sabin Vaccine Institute in the United States of America.

“That is the only vaccine that our teams, for more than two weeks, have been reviewing and have proven that it meets the minimum set guidelines.”

He added: “We received a request from Makerere University Lung Institute which we have granted. We know that their Principal Investigator is Prof. Dr Bruce Kirenga.”

According to Rwamiwiri, the entire process is scientifically controlled to ensure the integrity of outcomes and most importantly, to protect the safety of the participants.

“This is not a holistic immunisation process like it has been done for Covid-19. Whoever is going to participate in this study will be taken through the entire process of the trial and make consent. As NDA, we will monitor how that process goes. This is for study purposes,” he explained.

According to the Sabin Vaccine Institute, an estimated 100 million people are at risk of contracting the Ebola virus disease, one of the world’s deadliest diseases. There are currently six strains identified including Zaire and Sudan.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) committee of external experts evaluated three Ebola candidate vaccines and agreed all should be included in the planned trials in Uganda.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at the G20 summit in Indonesia that Uganda’s Minister of Health, Dr Jane Aceng, considered and accepted the committee’s recommendation.

“We expect the 1st doses of the Ebola candidate vaccine to be shipped to Uganda next week,” he said.

The candidates include; a vaccine developed by Oxford University and the Jenner Institute in Britain, the second one from the Sabin Vaccine Institute in the United States of America and the third candidate through the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).