Title |
Zika vaccines and therapeutics: landscape analysis and challenges ahead
|
---|---|
Published in |
BMC Medicine, June 2018
|
DOI | 10.1186/s12916-018-1067-x |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Annelies Wilder-Smith, Kirsten Vannice, Anna Durbin, Joachim Hombach, Stephen J. Thomas, Irani Thevarjan, Cameron P. Simmons |
Abstract |
Various Zika virus (ZIKV) vaccine candidates are currently in development. Nevertheless, unique challenges in clinical development and regulatory pathways may hinder the licensure of high-quality, safe, and effective ZIKV vaccines. Implementing phase 3 efficacy trials will be difficult given the challenges of the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of ZIKV transmission, the unpredictability of ZIKV epidemics, the broad spectrum of clinical manifestations making a single definite endpoint difficult, a lack of sensitive and specific diagnostic assays, and the need for inclusion of vulnerable target populations. In addition to a vaccine, drugs for primary prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis, or treatment should also be developed to prevent or mitigate the severity of congenital Zika syndrome. Establishing the feasibility of immune correlates and/or surrogates are a priority. Given the challenges in conducting phase 3 trials at a time of waning incidence, human challenge trials should be considered to evaluate efficacy. Continued financial support and engagement of industry partners will be essential to the successful development, licensure, and accessibility of Zika vaccines or therapeutics. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 3 | 33% |
Switzerland | 1 | 11% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 11% |
Unknown | 4 | 44% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 6 | 67% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 22% |
Scientists | 1 | 11% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 151 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 33 | 22% |
Student > Bachelor | 23 | 15% |
Researcher | 19 | 13% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 15 | 10% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 8 | 5% |
Other | 14 | 9% |
Unknown | 39 | 26% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 24 | 16% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 22 | 15% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 13 | 9% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 11 | 7% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 6 | 4% |
Other | 25 | 17% |
Unknown | 50 | 33% |