NewLink Genetics Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, focused on discovering, developing and commercialising novel immunotherapeutic products for cancer, announced that the international partnership studying the VSV-ZEBOV (Ebola) vaccine candidate in Guinea has released interim data suggesting that it is effective against Ebola in a large clinical trial.

According to the announcement, the interim results suggest that the vaccine candidate demonstrates efficacy within about 10 days of administration to a person without the infection.

The VSV-ZEBOV vaccine candidate was originally developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and was subsequently licensed to a subsidiary of NewLink Genetics. In late 2014, Merck licensed the vaccine from NewLink Genetics to apply Merck's vaccine expertise to help accelerate the development of this promising candidate. Merck is now responsible for research, development and manufacturing of the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine.

"NewLink appreciates the tremendous support for these studies from our many collaboration partners, including Merck, the government of Canada and the US Department of Health and Human Services (Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority), and especially the US Department of Defense, which provided funding for the development and manufacturing of the vaccine, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the many other organisations that stepped forward in the crisis to support the development of this vaccine and the clinical studies in Africa," said Dr. Charles Link, chairman, chief executive officer, and chief scientific officer of NewLink Genetics.

"We hope that the interim data published today contribute to the successful registration of our vaccine candidate, which we believe can play an important part in diminishing the threat of Ebola."

Because of the Ebola crisis, a large team was assembled which included scientists, physicians, epidemiologists and other experts from WHO, Norway, Canada, Guinea, Doctors without Borders, the Universities of Florida, Maryland and Bern, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Funding for the trial came from the Wellcome Trust, Norway, Canada, WHO, and Doctors without Borders. NewLink Genetics and Merck, one of the world's leading vaccine and pharmaceutical companies, provided the vaccine. Scientists from NewLink Genetics and Merck also gave detailed technical support on the vaccine and its administration to field trial staff.