OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 4, 2026 /CNW/ — Ebola disease is a severe illness with a high fatality rate. There is currently no licensed vaccine or treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease, the type of Ebola disease that is causing the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
On July 30, 2026, Health Canada authorized Moderna to move forward with a Phase I clinical trial for its candidate mRNA vaccine for Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus. Canada is the second country to authorize a Phase I clinical trial for a Bundibugyo virus vaccine candidate after the U.K.
The clinical trial will assess the candidate vaccine’s safety, determine the right dosage range and identify any side effects in healthy participants. Following this, Moderna would be required to conduct additional clinical trial phases before it could seek approval from Health Canada for the vaccine. Any final submission would need to meet Health Canada’s stringent safety, efficacy and quality standards before the vaccine could be allowed on the Canadian market.
Quick facts
- There have been no cases of Ebola disease in Canada. Orthoebolaviruses are transmitted through direct, unprotected contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person exhibiting symptoms (or someone who has died from the disease), as well as through contact with contaminated objects, infected animals.
- Clinical trials are conducted to evaluate new drugs and other medical therapies that have the potential to improve people’s lives. A Phase I clinical trial involves testing a candidate therapy on a small group of healthy people to determine its safety, the right dosage range, and side effects.
- Every year, Health Canada receives hundreds of new clinical trial applications. These applications are to test new drugs and other medical therapies (including vaccines) or new uses of those already approved.
- Participants in the authorized Phase 1 clinical trial will not be injected with an orthoebolavirus and cannot become sick with Ebola disease. They will be given a dose of the candidate vaccine and researchers will assess whether the participants’ immune system starts making antibodies to the Bundibugyo virus.
- Health Canada is modernizing the regulations for clinical trials so that people in all parts of Canada can take part in a broader range of clinical trials. Streamlining the requirements for clinical trials also benefits drug manufacturers and researchers, and ensures Canada remains a leader in global health.
- As part of global efforts to address Ebola disease, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) continues to support research on orthoebolaviruses, including the ongoing assessment of drugs and other medical therapies for the Bundibugyo virus, through its National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. PHAC has a collaboration agreement with Moderna to support domestic bio-manufacturing of mRNA vaccines in Canada.
Associated links
- Clinical trials and drug safety
- Ebola disease
- New Temporary Border Measures in Response to the Ebola Disease Outbreak
- Improving Access to Drugs
SOURCE Health Canada (HC)
