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Dutch Firm to Develop Ebola Vaccine with US
Thu May 16, 5:37 PM ET
By Melanie Cheary
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The US government joined forces with a tiny Dutch
biotechnology company on Thursday to develop a vaccine against Ebola (news
-
web sites), the virus that bleeds people to death and could make a
powerful bioterror weapon.
Crucell NV said on Thursday it would develop the vaccine together with
the US government's major medical research body, the National Institutes of
Health (news
-
web sites) (NIH), and could test it on humans within two years and sell
it by 2008.
The Ebola virus causes Ebola fever, one of the deadliest diseases known
to man and for which there is no cure. Patients' internal organs literally
disintegrate and they die rapidly, bleeding from every orifice.
Recent outbreaks of the fever have occurred in Africa, resulting in
hundreds of deaths. A major outbreak in a heavily populated area has so far
not occurred.
But the September 11 attacks in the United States last year and the
anthrax attacks in October have raised the specter of deadly viruses like
Ebola and smallpox being unleashed purposefully in vast quantities as
weapons of terror.
"When it comes to viruses, we are dealing with a totally new ballgame
now. Before September 11 the market for the Ebola vaccine was extremely
small. This has now changed," Ton Logtenberg, chief scientific officer at
Crucell, told Reuters.
"The virus has not spread but September 11 has made it a likely scenario
for bioterrorism," he added.
LARGE MARKET
Crucell said that under the partnership's terms it had the option to
acquire the exclusive right to sell the vaccine once it is made. Logtenberg
declined to put a value on potential sales but said Crucell would target
travelers, government officials, military personnel and people living in
Ebola endemic areas.
The Ebola vaccine will be developed using Crucell's technology and Ebola
genes already developed by the NIH's vaccine research center. An
experimental vaccine made by the research center succeeded in preventing
Ebola in monkeys.
The Dutch firm said that while it was not privy to the activities of
other producers, it was certain that it and the NIH would be the first to
produce an Ebola vaccine for humans.
"The NIH approached us because they were aware of our activities. The
vaccine's development is at a stage that the NIH wants to push forward now,"
Logtenberg said. "It will take about five or six years to have the vaccine
available."
After the unprecedented September 11 attacks on New York and Washington
last year, the United States has sought to protect itself against any form
of terrorism. Earlier this year US President George Bush urged that Congress
approve $5.9 billion to be spent next year to combat bioterrorism.
(additional reporting by Ben Hirschler in London)
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