UK Response to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa

Lord Colwyn Excerpts

Thursday 12th March 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Colwyn (Con)]

Does my noble friend have any news about the development and manufacture of an Ebola vaccine?

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

My noble friend should be aware that Glaxo-Wellcome has been working on a vaccine in Liberia. There is some progress on the first phase of those trials. As I understand it, it is going into another phase. For the moment that work has been focused in Liberia, but it is now moving into Sierra Leone. There is some progress, but clearly more work needs to be done. The Government have committed £2 million to that project so we are watching that development very closely. Clearly, a vaccine is a breakthrough that we all would welcome massively. There is early progress, but still a long way to go.