First Human Trial For Deadly Nipah Virus Vaccine Begins

London: Scientists at the University of Oxford in the UK have initiated the first human clinical trial for a vaccine targeting the deadly Nipah virus. The ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine, developed by researchers at the University’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, is set to be tested on 51 participants aged 18 to 55. Nipah virus, which has a mortality rate of approximately 75%, has caused outbreaks in Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India, with a recent incident in Kerala, India in September 2023.

The virus, carried by fruit bats and possibly transmitted through contact with infected animals or person-to-person close contact, lacks approved vaccines or treatments despite its identification in 1998. Professor Brian Angus, the Principal Investigator of the trial, emphasized the urgency due to the high mortality rate and the virus’s pandemic potential. The ChAdOx1 platform, the same used for the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, was employed to develop the Nipah vaccine.

Acknowledged by the World Health Organization as a priority disease necessitating urgent research, the Nipah virus falls under the paramyxovirus family, akin to well-known pathogens like measles. The 18-month project aims to pave the way for preventing local outbreaks and global pandemics. Further trials are anticipated in Nipah-affected countries, marking a crucial step in addressing this devastating disease.