Participants at the HJF Medical Research International in Abuja have been vaccinated in the inaugural Phase 2 clinical trial of a Lassa fever virus (LASV) vaccine candidate.
   
In a statement, yesterday, a non-profit scientific research organisation and trial sponsor, IAVI, said the project, IAVI C105/PREVAIL15, was funded by an innovative global partnership, CEPI, to accelerate the development of vaccines to fight pandemic threats.
   
It added that the trial in Nigeria was designed in consultation with in-country partners, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Nigeria Lassa Vaccine Taskforce. 
   
“In addition to Nigeria, and pending regulatory approval, IAVI is said to enrol additional participants at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana and the Partnership for Research on Vaccines and Infectious Diseases in Liberia (PREVAIL), the statement explained.
   
Clinical Research Centre Director, HJFMRI and Principal Investigator of IAVI C105 in Nigeria, Dr. Abdulwasiu Bolaji, said: “Nigerian clinicians, scientists and community members are key leaders in this international collaboration, which will ensure that vaccine development incorporates local context, experience and perspectives while fostering sustainable in-country research capacity and partnerships.”  

The statement detailed that Lassa fever, with no approved vaccine currently, is a serious public health threat, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises as a priority pathogen requiring accelerated research.
 
“An estimated 5,000 people die each year from LASV, and about 300,000 people fall ill across West Africa yearly – though the true disease burden is thought to be much higher. Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are most affected, but increasingly, neighbouring countries are experiencing their own emerging outbreaks, with travellers occasionally carrying infections to other regions. Although most people, who develop LASV, have mild or no symptoms, approximately 20 per cent will develop more serious symptoms, including widespread bleeding and major organ failure. Approximately a third of those infected with LASV experience associated deafness, sometimes resulting in lifelong disability. Children under 10 years, pregnant people and healthcare workers are especially vulnerable to LASV infection,” it added.
    
Vice President and Head of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, IAVI, Swati Gupta, said: “Continued outbreaks of Lassa fever and the emergence of Ebola Sudan in Uganda both underscore the need to have vaccines for known disease threats available for evaluation and use during outbreak situations – the overarching goal of IAVI’s emerging infectious disease programme.
   
“IAVI C105 is an important step towards attaining eventual licensure of a Lassa fever vaccine, should IAVI’s vaccine candidate prove to have an acceptable safety profile and be efficacious. We are grateful to our funders, our clinical partners, and our consortium collaborators for their continued support of IAVI and commitment to a more secure world.”
   
CEO of CEPI, Dr. Richard Hatchett explained: “Lassa fever has long been a threat to much of West Africa, and factors like climate change and population growth could exacerbate its transmission in coming decades.
  
“The world urgently needs a Lassa vaccine for routine immunisation. The initiation of IAVI’s new Phase II trial – the most advanced Lassa vaccine trial to date – is an important milestone in public health and signals that better tools to manage and prevent outbreaks are coming. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with IAVI and regional partners to advance this promising vaccine as quickly as possible.”