{
  "id": 149900,
  "title": "Canada authorises clinical trials of Moderna Ebola vaccine",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/canada-authorises-clinical-trials-of-moderna-ebola-vaccine",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-04T21:17:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2026/08/05/canada-authorises-clinical-trials-of-moderna-ebola-vaccine"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Montreal: The Canadian health ministry has granted authorization for US pharmaceutical company Moderna to commence clinical trials on an Ebola vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo strain. The Phase 1 trial aims to evaluate the vaccine's safety, ascertain the optimal dosage, and identify any adverse effects. Canada, which has recorded no Ebola cases, will not be directly participating in the trial; instead, it will serve as a manufacturing partner for the vaccine. If the preliminary findings prove favorable, the vaccine will progress to subsequent stages involving larger groups of participants. The vaccine harnesses the same mRNA technology employed in Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. Canada's decision to allow the clinical trials stems from its closure of borders to foreign nationals who had recently traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on July 20. No approved vaccine or treatment currently exists for the Bundibugyo variant responsible for the Ebola outbreak declared on May 15. Other vaccine candidates are also under development, with the WHO recognizing one as the most promising, developed by Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories. In late July, the Oxford University in Britain initiated the first volunteer for a Bundibugyo vaccine, utilizing the same technology as AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine. Various treatments are also navigating clinical trials in accordance with the WHO's recommendations. Ebola, a virus transmitted via contact with infected bodily fluids, leads to hemorrhagic fever, causing the deaths of over 1,700 individuals in the DRC since May.",
  "summary": "The Phase 1 trial of the mRNA vaccine candidate will assess safety, determine the dosage range and identify potential side effects.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "STAT News",
        "title": "STAT+: Moderna launches early trial of Ebola mRNA vaccine",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/stat-moderna-launches-early-trial-of-ebola-mrna-vaccine",
        "published": "2026-08-05T13:32:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Endpoints News",
        "title": "FDA approves Moderna flu vaccine after spat with past agency leaders",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/fda-approves-moderna-flu-vaccine-after-spat-with-past-agency-leaders",
        "published": "2026-08-06T02:25:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "FDA approves Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine after initial pushback",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/fda-approves-modernas-mrna-flu-vaccine-after-initial-pushback",
        "published": "2026-08-06T03:33:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Engadget",
        "title": "FDA approves Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine after initially refusing to review it",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/fda-approves-modernas-mrna-flu-vaccine-after-initially-refusing-to",
        "published": "2026-08-06T08:52:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BioPharma Dive",
        "title": "FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/fda-approves-modernas-mrna-flu-vaccine",
        "published": "2026-08-06T11:10:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Healthcare Dive",
        "title": "FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/fda-approves-modernas-mrna-flu-vaccine-221989",
        "published": "2026-08-06T11:10:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Scientific American",
        "title": "U.S. approves Moderna’s mRNA vaccine for flu—the first of its kind",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/u-s-approves-modernas-mrna-vaccine-for-flu-the-first-of-its-kind",
        "published": "2026-08-06T13:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}