GlaxoSmithKline Takes A Step Closer To Ebola Vaccine

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) $GSK, the Britain-based pharmaceuticals company is inching closer to finding a vaccine for the deadly virus Ebola. The company's test Ebola vaccine, which has already been tested in nearly 200 people has shown no side effects on healthy human beings so far, which is a positive sign at the early stages of the study.

Photo via CNBC Africa courtesy of Doctor's channel

According to reports on Monday, the safety data so far are very satisfactory, which means there is no threat with regard to the safety of the vaccinated subjects.


Since the trials began about two months ago, the program has used approximately 200 healthy human volunteers from the U.S, Britain, Mali and Switzerland.

The experimental shot uses a single Ebola virus gene from a chimpanzee virus to generate an immune response. Because it doesn’t contain any infectious virus material, it can’t infect those being vaccinated.

Latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that the latest Ebola outbreak has now infected more than 13,000 people with virtually all of them being from West Africa, especially in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. out of these, 5,000 have been reported to have succumbed to the virus.

Reports also suggest that biotech companies are accelerating the drug trials for Ebola vaccine, while WHO remains hopeful that one or more of the vaccines may be ready for some limited use in West Africa, in early 2015.

West Africa Hits Record Numbers In Cocoa Production

West Africa has hit a record number in cocoa production driven by Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria quickly rising.

Increase in West Africa's cocoa production. PHOTO: Best Wallpaper-via CNBC Africa

This past season, West Africa produced a record of 3.1 million tons of cocoa. However, it is unlikely that the region will produce the same high yield next season.

“We’re expecting a total crop of around 1.6 million tons in Côte d’Ivoire. We’re expecting a slightly larger crop in Ghana of around 950 thousand tons and we’re expecting Nigeria to grow by the strongest of any cocoa producer in the world,” said Edward George, head of group research at Ecobank. Read More...

Dozens Volunteer For Ebola Test Vaccine

The world's most popular virus at the moment, Ebola,  seems to have touched the hearts of many as researchers try to find a vaccine in a bid to control the outbreak. GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK), (LSE:GSK) $GSK, has been working on several Ebola vaccine products in a bid to cut the spread of the deadly virus.

According to reports, the U.K -based pharmaceuticals company may have found a product that is now ready to test on healthy human beings. The research team is looking for 120 volunteers for the test program and reports indicate that more than 50 have already volunteered.

The city of Lausanne, Switzerland  will host the test program for GlaxoSmithKline product in what would be the largest study for leading experimental vaccine in fight against Ebola.

While reports indicate that a majority of the volunteers are mainly doctors and medical students, the fact that some people are willing to become test subjects in what could possibly emerge to be a death ticket shows that at last, scientists could be making a major milestone towards fighting Ebola.

World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that, if kept unchecked, Ebola could strike as many as 10,000 people per week by December this year. However, according to Dr. Blaise Genton, a professor at the University Hospital of Lausanne, who has worked on more than 20 vaccine trials, there could be some progress towards finding a vaccine. He believes that the current string of vaccine to be tested is very different from the others, and expressed a great deal of optimism on the product.

"We need to go very fast so that we may have something more than what we have now in terms of preventive measures", Genton Said. A shipment of vials of the vaccine is expected to arrive today or tomorrow (Thursday), enabling inoculations to begin this week. Unconfirmed reports suggest that GlaxoSmithKline's experimental shot is based on a live version of a genetically modified chimpanzee virus that contains an Ebola gene.

Meanwhile, the volunteers from the broader community will receive $845 or 800 Swiss Francs as compensation for time spent and travel expenses.

EU To Raise Ebola Aid Budget To 1 Billion Euros

European Union leaders have agreed to double their financial aid directed to fight against Ebola in Africa to 1 billion Euros, CNBC Africa reported. "EU will increase financial help to 1 billion euros to fight Ebola in West Africa", the Chairman of EU Brussels Summit said on Friday via a twitter message.

There were criticisms that the 28 nations member union was not doing enough towards the fight against Ebola with the previous amount of aid pledged estimated at around 500 million euros. However, the latest developments show that the EU is now ready to show its commitment towards the fight against Ebola in West Africa.

The non-curable virus has no vaccine and has already killed thousands of people in West Africa, as the the western part of the continent continues to put measures towards prevention of spread. Mali has become the sixth nation in West Africa to report a case of Ebola as the World Health Organization (WHO) races to contain the outbreak.

This shows just how the deadly virus is spreading at an alarming rate never witnessed in the recent past. Several governments and organizations have dedicated a significant amount and effort towards containing the disease as market analysts fear that the virus could have a major impact on financial markets.