FDA approves for an Ebola vaccine in the US
Kathmandu, December 20
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. approved Ebola vaccine despite there have been rare case of Ebola in the country.
The move by FDA came a month later after European Union issued marketing authorization for a vaccine to prevent the Ebola virus in adults.
"Vaccination is essential to help prevent outbreaks and to stop the Ebola virus from spreading when outbreaks do occur," said FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Peter Marks in a statement.
Merck's Ervebo vaccine is already being given to people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
More than 2,000 people have been killed due to an ongoing outbreak of Ebola in the Congo. Currently, more than 200,000 people received the vaccine.
A research during an outbreak in Guinea confirmed that the vaccine is 100% effective in preventing Ebola cases with symptom onset greater than 10 days after vaccination.
As per engadget.com, studies supporting its approval included one with 900 subjects in Canada, Spain and the U.S., where antibody responses matched with those seen elsewhere. Side effects included "pain, swelling and redness at the injection site, as well as headache, fever, joint and muscle aches and fatigue."
The EU marketing approval precedes increased manufacturing of the dose, called V920, in Germany later in 2020.
