First-in-Human Nipah Virus Vaccine Clinical Trial Launches

The Oxford Vaccine Group today announced it is leading the first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine candidate.

Funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), this vaccine candidate is being developed by researchers at the University of Oxford's Pandemic Sciences Institute. 

Fifty-one adults aged 18 to 55 will participate in the trial, which is expected to last 18 months (March 2025), with additional trials expected to follow in a Nipah-affected country, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, or India.

The primary contact of the study (ISRCTN87634044) is Miss Ella Morey, [email protected].

This new study is essential as there are no approved Nipah vaccines to protect people from this disease, which is fatal in around 75% of cases.

Professor Brian Angus, the trial's Principal Investigator and Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Centre for Clinical Tropical Medicine and Global Health commented in a press release on January 11, 2024, "Nipah virus was first identified in 1998, and yet 25 years on the global health community still has no approved vaccines or treatments for this devastating disease."

"Due to the high mortality rate and the nature of Nipah virus transmission, the disease is identified as a priority pandemic pathogen. This vaccine trial is an important milestone in identifying a solution to prevent local outbreaks while helping the world prepare for a future global pandemic." 

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes Nipah as a priority disease requiring urgent research and belongs to the same family of paramyxoviruses as more well-known pathogens like measles. 

According to the WHO, fruit bats carry the disease and may also be transmitted by contact with infected animals (pigs) or from person to person via close contact.