EBS - Emergent doses first participant in Phase 1 trial for Lassa virus vaccine

• Emergent BioSolutions Inc. ( NYSE: EBS ), a company known for its contract manufacturing work, announced Tuesday the dosing of the first participant in its Phase 1 trial for EBS-LASV, an experimental vaccine for Lassa virus infection. EBS shares gained ~9% in pre-market trading in response to the news.
• The randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study will test the recombinant VSV-vectored vaccine candidate in nearly 36 healthy adults in Ghana.
• The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations has partnered with EBS to conduct the program.
• Endemic in certain African countries, the Lassa virus can lead to an acute viral hemorrhagic illness known as Lassa fever, where there is a significant unmet need with no approved vaccines or treatments.
• “We are proud to deploy our product development and partnering capabilities to address emerging infectious diseases like Lassa fever, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or therapeutic, and to advance our pipeline for patients,” Emergent’s ( EBS ) SVP for R&D Kelly Warfield, remarked.

For further details see: