NIH launches Zika vaccine trial

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an experimental vaccine to prevent Zika virus. At least 80 healthy volunteers aged 18-35 years are expected to participate in the early-stage study at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD; Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute for Global Health in Baltimore; and Emory University in Atlanta. Initial data on safety and immune response are expected by January. If favorable, NIAID plans to initiate a Phase 2 trial early next year in Zika-endemic countries. “A safe and effective vaccine to prevent Zika virus infection and the devastating birth defects it causes is a public health imperative,” said NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, M.D. “NIAID worked expeditiously to ready a vaccine candidate, and results in animal testing have been very encouraging.”