Research Roundup: Vaccines for cholera and river blindness and an online platform for pooled procurement

Last week, an oral cholera vaccine received World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification, a process of regulatory review which paves the way for procurement by United Nations agencies and international organizations. Up to 4.3 million cases and 142,000 deaths from cholera are reported annually, primarily in low- and middle-income countries, and the vaccine—Euvichol®—is 65 percent effective against the bacteria. Euvichol® was developed by GHTC member the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), and has been licensed to the Korean company Eubiologics, which plans to produce 6 million doses in 2016. The vaccine is a reformulated version of Shanchol™, which is licensed to Shantha Biotechnics in India, and was prequalified in 2011. According to the WHO, prequalification of Euvichol® could double the global supply of cholera vaccines.

Scientists have identified three compounds that could serve as the basis for a vaccine against onchocerciasis (river blindness). More than 17 million people globally are affected by river blindness, 70 percent of whom experience skin conditions, including itching and lesions, and 10 percent of whom develop eye conditions, leading to visual impairment. Without a vaccine, river blindness control programs use the antiparasitic drug ivermectin to treat the disease, however, ivermectin is not recommended for use in children under five. Additionally, in Central and Western Africa, where coinfection with Loa loa worms is common, use of ivermectin can lead to fatal brain inflammation. The team hopes to initiate safety and efficacy trials for a potential vaccine candidate by 2020 and 2025, respectively.

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