Doubts over integrity of Ebola trials

Read Article

Comments (25)

This article is closed for comments.

Read Comments Comments (25)

LARYEAH 10 years ago

THOSE OFFICIALS WHO ARE PLANNING TO EXTERMINATE OUR BROTHERS IN THE VOLTA REGION ARE THE SAME PEOPLE EAGER TO INTRODUCE GMO IN THE NATION. AND I SAY WHERE IS KOFI A. AND WHERE DOES HE STANDS. SPIRITUAL SACRIFICING ...!

THOSE OFFICIALS WHO ARE PLANNING TO EXTERMINATE OUR BROTHERS IN THE VOLTA REGION ARE THE SAME PEOPLE EAGER TO INTRODUCE GMO IN THE NATION. AND I SAY WHERE IS KOFI A. AND WHERE DOES HE STANDS. SPIRITUAL SACRIFICING ...!
DR TRUTH 10 years ago

HOOOOOW CAN NDC SELL GHANAIAN LIVES FOR MONEY.. ARE THEY THAT STUPID N TREACHEROUS? IMPEACH THAT SENSELESS MAN WHO CALLS HIMSELF A PRESIDENT

HOOOOOW CAN NDC SELL GHANAIAN LIVES FOR MONEY.. ARE THEY THAT STUPID N TREACHEROUS? IMPEACH THAT SENSELESS MAN WHO CALLS HIMSELF A PRESIDENT
hallygrove 10 years ago

instead of unnecessary rage and naive comments abouts what goes on in these clinical trials why don't you state relevant facts and argue your points well? you sound like an ignorant crowd following fool with no basic knowledg ...
read full comment

instead of unnecessary rage and naive comments abouts what goes on in these clinical trials why don't you state relevant facts and argue your points well? you sound like an ignorant crowd following fool with no basic knowledge on the affairs of public health you illiterate fuck face! educate yourself and stop pouring your bitterness as a result of ignorance on the president, Imean how can you insult the president of the nation you call home? do you kknow when our current constitution was written? I doubt all you know is what youhear people whisper around! ppathetic fuckhead! educate yourself and be reasonable.
AbasZ 10 years ago

So they are praying for ebola to raise its ugly head in Ghana. Ok ooo.

So they are praying for ebola to raise its ugly head in Ghana. Ok ooo.
Kanawu 10 years ago

Ghana are always boastful about how civilized they are but are we? We have mahama administration which is also ostentatious and CORRUPT to the core. So how do you expect things to work. If Ebola were to come to Ghana (Thanks ...
read full comment

Ghana are always boastful about how civilized they are but are we? We have mahama administration which is also ostentatious and CORRUPT to the core. So how do you expect things to work. If Ebola were to come to Ghana (Thanks God it didn't) Mahama & his HOODLUMS will have channelled the money to their personal uses as they have done in the past
Gsbby 10 years ago

Good report

Good report
Bread and kokonte 10 years ago

But why this useless NDC so called minister of health Segbefia is interested in spreading the killer virus, why he did not try it himself, wife and children. This Segbefia man lived in Britain for so long so he is been brainw ...
read full comment

But why this useless NDC so called minister of health Segbefia is interested in spreading the killer virus, why he did not try it himself, wife and children. This Segbefia man lived in Britain for so long so he is been brainwash with money to destroy Ghana. Look at that useless chief Gabusu also sitting down like pupert and take bribe to allow the spread of the virus.
Let's be Frank 10 years ago

Some one has been given money and is therefore willing to introduce this menace into the country at whatever cost. This whole exercise is fueled by GREED.
Why aren't they testing this vaccine in the countries where ebola ha ...
read full comment

Some one has been given money and is therefore willing to introduce this menace into the country at whatever cost. This whole exercise is fueled by GREED.
Why aren't they testing this vaccine in the countries where ebola has struck, or at least in countries where patients have been treated (sometimes not successfully) for ebola, including the USA.
We know the track record of GSK and I urge all Ghanaians to do due diligence and look them up.
Let all those politicians who think there is absolutely no risk in this trial, first of all use themselves, their spouses, their children, their parent, and members of their extended families as guinea pigs.
Let us wait for 2 years to study what happens to these volunteers, then we can make a decision as to whether we want to undertake such a foolhardy exercise in this country.
DONBOLI 10 years ago

We never had one case of Ebola in Ghana. How stupid is the government to even think about infecting our people.
If Ebola or the whitemen wants to sell his medicine, they better go to the countries they have already infected ...
read full comment

We never had one case of Ebola in Ghana. How stupid is the government to even think about infecting our people.
If Ebola or the whitemen wants to sell his medicine, they better go to the countries they have already infected with the Ebola.
The Ebola trials should go with them as they leave the country.
Ghanaians helped by allowing them to make Ghana their control office during the west Africa Ebola. They is no more Ebola in Africa, WHY do they want to use Ghanaians as guinea pigs while the useless John Mahama and his government keeping quiet and encouraging them to kill our people.
Volta Region people are so stupid in allowing the trial there.
Spreading Ebola in Volta Region will effect not only Ghanaians but Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger and Burkina Faso..
If they want to help they should spray west Africa to get rid of Mosquitoes, that is what kills us not Ebola the white man creation.
Why only Blackman and black colour people die from their Ebola.
Crytiqal 10 years ago

This is an attitude of insane senseless president who doesn't care about his citizens.They must first try the vaccine at the flagstaff before testing it on ordinary ghanaian

This is an attitude of insane senseless president who doesn't care about his citizens.They must first try the vaccine at the flagstaff before testing it on ordinary ghanaian

Sodzi 10 years ago

EBOLA VACCINE INVESTIGATION TEAM RESPONDS TO GHANA ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES AND QUESTIONS BY GENERAL PUBLIC

BY PROF FRED BINKA, PROF KWADWO KORAM, DR. KWAKU POKU ASANTE AND THE INVESTIGATING TEAM

Background To A ...
read full comment

EBOLA VACCINE INVESTIGATION TEAM RESPONDS TO GHANA ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES AND QUESTIONS BY GENERAL PUBLIC

BY PROF FRED BINKA, PROF KWADWO KORAM, DR. KWAKU POKU ASANTE AND THE INVESTIGATING TEAM

Background To A Phase l & ll Vaccine Studies Against Ebola Disease
The Ebola pandemic, which occurred across the world, with the epicenter in West Africa, led to over 25,000 cases and over 10,000 deaths. The absence of licensed drugs and vaccines contributed to the impact of the epidemic in the region. Even though the outbreak is vastly slowed, one missed infection could threaten weeks, even months of progress. There is therefore an urgent need for the development of vaccines to prevent infection and protect people from getting the disease.

The current proposed clinical trials in Ghana are to contribute towards the development of an effective vaccine to protect populations in future outbreaks for the disease in the region.

The vaccines in general are used to immunise populations without infection nor disease. So the clinical trials will recruit healthy Ghanaians to determine the safety and to assess how the body tolerates the proposed vaccines in the first instance.

THE GHANA ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES CONCERNS

1. Major uncertainties about
a. the nature and origins of the Ebola virus, including the circumstances of its appearance in Guinea
b. whether the Zaire strain of the virus, which is the one being used in the GSK vaccine to be tested in Ghana is the strain responsible for the Ebola epidemics in Liberia, Mali Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
c. The identity and characteristics of other strains of the Ebola virus that might exist

Response:
The main strain of the Ebola vaccine virus still circulating in Guinea is the Makona strain a variant of Zaire strain of the virus. The investigators in Ghana do not know the circumstances of the appearance of the virus in Guinea, but are sure other investigators are working to answer this question and we hope to read the publication soon. However, since the epidemic continues to ravage the people of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia a group of investigators, including investigators in Ghana are working on developing preventive vaccines to protect the population against the Ebola disease.

The Zaire strain is reported in the scientific journals as the main strain that caused the epidemic in all the countries in the West Africa region. The target glycoprotein from this virus is used as the part of the construct of the GSK vaccine to be tested in Ghana.

2. The use in the GSK/NIH vaccine of a gene particle of the wild species of the Zaire Ebola virus, rather than the gene particle of the Makona strain isolated in the epidemic in Guinea.

Response:
a. The type of protein used in the construct of the vaccine against Ebola has 97% similarity with all the known Ebola virus strains including the Makona strain. The selected gene is usually common to all the strains that cause epidemics.

3. What pre-clinical animal experimentation had been carried out with a vaccine based on the Makona strain to establish evidence of safety, immunogenicity and protection.

Response:
The GSK/NIH vaccine being developed (and by other companies) is focused on Zaire strain. GSK has therefore carried out the pre-clinical studies, evaluating safety, immunogenicity and protection with the Zaire strain, so far.

4. What basis is there for expecting that the immune responses generated against the wild type Zaire Ebola virus GSK vaccine formulation (construct), with a live non-replicating chimpanzee adenovirus carrying a gene from Zaire Ebola virus, would be effective against the Makona strain or any other Ebola virus and other species and strains;

Response
a. Pre-clinical studies in primates have been shown to be safe and immunogenic after challenge studies. High protection was achieved after challenging the animals with a very high dose (more than what is believed to be responsible for infections in the current outbreak). It was also 100 percent efficacious in primates against the Ebola virus. The next stage is to evaluate safety, tolerability, immunogenicity and efficacy in humans. The Ebola virus strain that is currently circulating in West Africa has 97% homology to the glycoprotein used in this vaccine regimen. These studies would have to demonstrate a public health benefit otherwise the vaccine will NOT be licensed.

5. After a test vaccine has been shown in the vaccinated individual to produce an immune response (immunogenicity), what guarantee would there be, in this instance, that the vaccine would offer protection against the full Zaire Ebola virus and other species and strains;
Response:
This forms part of the full development pipeline. Efficacy or Phase lll studies in the affected countries will be answering these questions. Vaccines that do not demonstrate public health benefit are not licensed
6. On the basis of research conducted so far towards vaccine development, what is the likelihood of the present construct of vaccines protecting communities against the rapid emergence of new, more virulent strains of the virus, as appears to have happened with the Makona: the risk of false confidence deriving from the use of a new vaccine must be noted;
Response :
Recent study by the National Institutes of Health (published in March, 2015) which compared virus sequencing data from samples taken from patients in Guinea (March 2014), Sierra Leone (June 2014) and Mali (November 2014). "The Ebola virus in the ongoing West African outbreak appears to be stable-that is , it does not appear to be mutating more rapidly than viruses in previous outbreaks, and that is reassuring" (Anthony S. Fauci, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases). Understanding and tracking Ebola virus evolution are critical and a lot of work is currently being done. If new strain appears in subsequent outbreaks scientist will consider this. The same approach has been used against other disease outbreaks. This is to ensure that scientific and public health response keeps pace with any reported epidemiological changes in the virus.
7. What assurances do we have that the chimpanzee-derived live adenovirus vector used in the GSK vaccine construct, although non-replicating for now, will remain dormant and not itself cause a disease to compromise the health of the people of Ghana;
Response:
The adenovirus construct is highly characterized from the current vaccinology technology. Before adenovirus vaccine trial material was released for use, it was tested to check if there was any replication competent adenovirus or other replicating contaminants. None was detected. These checks will be conducted on all batches of vaccines developed before they are released for use.
There are currently two candidate Ebola vaccines proposed for clinical trials in Ghana: ChAd3-ZEBOV (GSK) and a prime-boost regimen of Ad26 and MVA (J&J). The vaccines are based on viral vectors, which are completely replication deficient. The two adenoviruses and MVA have multiple gene deletions rendering them replication incompetent, and there is no scientifically plausible scenario of their reverting to replication competence. Also the two constructs do not replicate in human cells. From the current knowledge, it is unlikely that this system will cause a disease.
8. It is to be noted that the application for the GSK Ebola vaccine Phase II trial in Ghana includes children, even though the Phase I trial in the US, UK, Mali and Switzerland was limited to adults, raising the question of dosage profiles for children and other vulnerable groups in the Phase II trial;
Response:
This is standard vaccine development practice, adults are recruited to determine and an age de- escalation is done to recruit children who so far have been the target for EPI vaccines.
This is a multi-country study involving 4 other African Countries. The recruitment and immunization will be done in a systemic manner. Eligible adults will be recruited and immunized first . All adults will be monitored for any safety issue. The pediatric studies will NOT start until the safety data for the adults is reviewed by an external independent data safety committee; and after review by the Ghana FDA and Ethics committees for approval to continue with the child study.
9. What evidence is there of strict compliance with the International Committee on Harmonization Protocol Guidelines for Clinical Trials, including full “informed consent” by all volunteers.
Response:
Strict compliance to ICH guides is always ensured in clinical trials otherwise the integrity of the data being collected is questionable. In this study stringent procedures have been put in place to safe guard the safety of participants according to ICH guidelines.
This starts from the scientific and ethical review of the protocol to ensure that the protocol has been reviewed by regulatory authorities.
This protocol was reviewed at country level by the Ghana FDA and the Ghana Health Service Ethics Committee and at the international level through a joint review by the AVAREF. Other participating countries concerns raised by their regulatory authorities were also factored in before the final protocol was sent to Ghana regulatory authorities for review and final approval.
Site assessment by the sponsor and regulatory authorities in Ghana to assess the sites capacity (both infrastructure and human capacity), the clinical trials that have been conducted by the site within an international standard, current trials that are on-going at the site, the ability of the site to recruit and adequately follow up patients, and all the required documentations including Standard Operating procedures for all procedures are in place according to ICH guidelines on protecting human subjects.
Site initiation and interim visits will be done by the regulatory agencies during the study. In addition there are certified independent external clinical safety monitors responsible for the study. These monitors monitor the study both on the ground or physically and remotely by making sure that the study is conducted according to the protocol and all Standard Operating Procedures are adhered to. Each signed informed consent is reviewed by the clinical monitors. Participants are visited at random occasions to interact with them and to make sure there was true understanding of the study and was properly informed before consenting. Any other concerns that the regulators or the monitor comes across during the visit or upon detection from the documentations are verified from the source and written reports are sent to the sponsor.

Independent data monitoring committee members monitor the data closely as the data is entered in real time. Any serious adverse event or any adverse event of special interest is reported within 24hours and reviewed promptly by the Independent data monitoring committee for prompt action. The committee members are from different countries with different scientific background and have the required competency to oversee the overall conduct of the trial . The Independent Data Monitoring Committee has the power to recommend stopping the trial if they believe that harm may arise from the trial going on.

10. It is noted that the Phase I trial of the GSK vaccine in Europe produced an adverse event namely, prolonged bleeding in 10-15% of the vaccinated population. This is a serious adverse event that calls for the extreme caution in approving clinical trials, both Phase I and Phase II, in the country.

Response:
The cells that protect against bleeding were transiently reduced. There was No Bleeding. The patients were monitored and the transient reduction blood cells that protect against bleeding resolved. The reduction in these blood cells will be monitored as part of this trial.

CONCLUSION
It is important to document the safety and immunogenicity of these Ebola candidate vaccines in the Ghanaian population as the country will be the beneficiary of an effective Ebola vaccine. Ghana is the appropriate country in view of the geographical location, our Experienced and effective Ethics Review Committee, our highly rated Regulatory Authority the FDA that can provide oversight with its stringent technical experts and guidelines and a group of competent and experienced Ghanaian scientists who have conducted several clinical trials in the past. There is therefore justification for Ghana to join the global search for an effective vaccine with USA, UK, Switzerland and NINE other Africa countries, Mali, Gabon, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Burkina Faso, where these important trials are taking place.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FREQUENTLY ASKED BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

1. Why do we need a vaccine?
There are many reasons why we need a vaccine. The following are some of the reasons:
• The current epidemic continues to have devastating effects in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
• This epidemic is not over, and as long as new cases continue to appear, people remain at risk of spread of the Ebola infection.
• It is vital that we work together to accelerate the development of an effective vaccine, to protect people from this and future Ebola outbreaks.
• ¬ Protecting frontline health workers and stopping spread of this disease with a preventive vaccine is critical.
• New Ebola outbreaks will almost certainly occur and this is an opportunity to ensure that this is the last such epidemic at a time when the only tools available to control it are isolation and quarantine.

Is there a vaccine to protect against Ebola virus disease?

• At this time, there are no vaccines to protect against EVD licensed for use in humans.

2. How are Vaccine clinical trials conducted?
Pre-clinical trials (Animal studies)
Pre-clinical trials are carried out in laboratories and animals and aim to: 1) determine whether the vaccine works as intended and 2) to identify any harmful effects. In the proposed vaccine trials, animal studies have already been conducted and found to be safe and indeed efficacious in chimpanzee.

Clinical trials (Human trials)

Human trials are conducted in a chronological order from Phase I to phase IV
Phase I trials involve 20 to a few hundred healthy individuals and examine safety and immune response. They also identify commonly occurring adverse reactions. Phase 1 trials are first conducted in the countries where the vaccines are developed and subsequently in other countries. The first trial to be conducted in Hohoe is a Phase 1 trial.

Phase II trials involve several hundred to a few thousand people and seeks to determine the optimum vaccine composition for achieving immunity while ensuring safety. Phase II trials also involve healthy adults and then healthy children only after the vaccine is found to be safe in adults. Phase II trials of GSKs anti Ebola vaccine will be conducted in Kintampo and Hohoe.

Phase III trials involve thousands to tens of thousands of people and examine the vaccine's ability to prevent a disease as intended. They also provide further safety information. Phase III studies of an anti Ebola vaccine can only be conducted when there is an outbreak of a disease, therefore a Phase III trial will not be conducted in Ghana.

Phase IV trials are conducted after the vaccine if found by regulatory authorities to be safe and can prevent diseases in Phase III trial. Phase IV trials include surveillance activities to identify rare adverse events that may not have been identified in Phase I-III trials. There adverse events are reported through spontaneous reporting systems to health authorities for decision making.

3. What are scientists/researchers planning to do in Ghana?

In Ghana, scientists/researchers/ planning to do a Phase l for the Johnson & Johnson in Hohoe and Phase ll for the GSK vaccine in Hohoe and Kintampo .

4. Why are the trials going to be conducted in Ghana and not in the Ebola affected countries?
Ghana was selected to take part in this multi-country study through a competitive process. This shows the high regard the global health community has for Ghana for her science and capacity to carry out quality clinical trials. This is why the Government of Ghana and leading experts in the country are taking part in this global effort to find a preventive vaccine against the Ebola Virus Disease. The trials in Ghana seek to assess how well the body builds up immunity after an injection with the anti Ebola vaccine.

Vaccine trials are being conducted in Guinea where there was an outbreak, but there is a scientific rationale to determine how safe the vaccine is and how will it builds up immunity in individuals who have not been exposed to an Ebola outbreak. Other anti Ebola vaccine trials are being conducted in Kenya and Tanzania. Nigeria, Burkina Faso and other West African Countries will start soon.

4.1. Why Hohoe was selected?

The Oncho research center at Hohoe was started in 1986 by WHO. For nearly 30 years now, over 30 clinical trials including phase l, ll, lll studies of onchocerchiasis drugs, malaria drugs and others have been conducted according to internationally recognized standards at the Hohoe Centre.

The use of Ivermectin and other combinations of drugs recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO) for all the Onchocerchiasis affected countries was developed following trials at Hohoe. The Research Center has collaborated with more than 20 reputable institutions including the WHO, UNICEF, The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Accra, The University of Ibadan, The National Institute of Health in Maryland, The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Center for Global Health & Diseases, Case Western Reserve University (USA). Hohoe is an internationally recognized name in clinical research.
4.2. Why Kintampo was selected?
Kintampo Health Research Center in the last decade has been undertaking vaccine trials in meningitis and malaria. It has done both phase ll and just completed a phase 3 study as part of a multi-country study, which the whole world is waiting for the results. The Center has a well-equipped clinical trial facility of an international standard and qualified biomedical scientists and clinicians for vaccine studies.

5. Have the vaccines ever been tested in humans
The vaccines have been tested in humans in the USA, UK, Switzerland and Germany, Mali and Gabon. An updated list of countries currently testing the anti Ebola vaccines is available at the website of World Health Organisation.

6. What vaccines are being tested?

There are two vaccines to be tested in Ghana.

1) The Chad3-ZEBOV vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithkline Biologicals and
2) 2) Ad26.ZEBOV + MVA-BN-filo developed by Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceuticals.

These vaccines are constructed by using a non Ebola disease forming protein of the Ebola virus and a no disease forming flu virus. An injection with the vaccines can therefore not lead to Ebola disease or flu disease.

7. What are the possible side-effects from getting the vaccine?
The side effects differ slightly from the type of vaccine being tested. Some people experience some fever, chills or headaches, or feel tired or have muscle pain. These reactions usually last no longer than a few hours and disappear with medication. Some volunteers have also experienced joint pain, beginning in the first two weeks after vaccination and generally lasting no more than a few days.
8. Who are the Potential Participants?
¬Healthy adult volunteers who meet the study’s eligibility criteria and provide full written informed consent will be the participants. A doctor will assess whether the participant is healthy or not through a physical and laboratory examination. If the vaccine is found to be safe among healthy adults, the safety of the vaccine will subsequently be assessed among healthy children.

9. Is this vaccine safe for children?
The safety of the vaccine in children will be assessed only after the safety profile of adults is assessed. After it is determined to be safe in adults, healthy children will be recruited into the study as per then protocol, and safety assessment will be done.
10. Why can’t pregnant women join the study?
Pregnant women will not be allowed to join the study. When vaccines are being developed and tested, pregnant women are not usually offered the vaccines until the safety in other groups has been shown. This is done to protect pregnant women and their unborn babies. Once the vaccine is shown to be safe and efficacious, later studies could also target pregnant women.
11. Do volunteers get paid for taking part in the study?
Volunteers are not paid for agreeing to take part in the study. Volunteers will be compensated for their lost time and transport each time they come to the clinic. The Ethics Committees in Ghana determines an ideal amount of compensation as part of the approval process. The details of the nature of the compensation is below:

o The compensation for each research area has been established by using fair market value schedules, which are intended to be appropriate but not coercive to study participation. In Hohoe, the ethics committee have approved for volunteers to receive 200 GHS (Ghanaian Cedi) per visit. The compensation amount for volunteers partaking in the study in Kintampo is yet to be approved and may be different from that in Hohoe.

12. What are the Process of Clinical trials in Ghana?
Clinical trials scientists and their institutions are selected based on the teams qualification and experience in conducting clinical trials research. The availability of clinical trial infrastructure to recruit participants and the ability to follow up participants, while ensuring patient safety. Clinical trial documents are then filed by the sponsor with the Ghana FDA and the Ghana Health Service National Ethics Committee. Full community engagement starts after full approval by the Food and Drugs Authority.

Monitoring:
To ensure the safety and human right protection of participants, strict adherence to national regulations, clinical trials are monitored by:
• An external clinical safety monitor
• The Independent Data Safety Monitoring Committee
• The Ghana Food and Drugs Authority
• The Ghana Health Service National Ethics Committee
13. When will we know the results of the study?
• Final results from the clinical studies will be shared with the communities that participate in the clinical trials. Results will also be shared with the other organizations that have worked on the national and international Ebola response.
• We do not yet know when we will have the final results.
14. How will the results be used?
• The study results will be put together with other data that is being collected about this vaccine and together they will be submitted to regulatory authorities that will assess whether to approve the vaccine for use in the prevention of Ebola. If approved by the regulatory authorities, more of this vaccine could be made and offered to people in countries who experience an outbreak or that have experienced Ebola outbreaks in the past. It is possible that Ghana may have an outbreak in future, and then the vaccine could be offered to people in Ghana.
• Identifiable information of people participating in the clinical studies will not be shared in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
AK2 10 years ago

Thanks, Sodzi.

Thanks, Sodzi.
LARYEAH 10 years ago

SODZI, YOUR EYES ARE OPEN BUT YOU CANNOT SEE. HIV AND EBOLA ARE MAN MADE DISEASE TO DESTABILIZED AFRICA. WHAT THEN IS THE ORIGIN OF THESE DISEASES AND THE CARRIER. AS AIDS DEFILED INTERNATIONAL BOARDERS SO IS EBOLA. AND NOW T ...
read full comment

SODZI, YOUR EYES ARE OPEN BUT YOU CANNOT SEE. HIV AND EBOLA ARE MAN MADE DISEASE TO DESTABILIZED AFRICA. WHAT THEN IS THE ORIGIN OF THESE DISEASES AND THE CARRIER. AS AIDS DEFILED INTERNATIONAL BOARDERS SO IS EBOLA. AND NOW THE PERPETRATORS ARE CONFUSED AS AGAIN. MESSIAH HAS ONCE AGAIN LOOK KINDLY ON AFRICANS. THE ONLY POTENTATE ON HIGH, ALPHA AND OMEGA WILL SURELY SAVE HIS OWN AS THEY HAVE UNLEASHED THE DEMONIC HOMOSEXUALITY AND MADE IT LEGAL BY THE POWERS THAT BE, THE ILLUMINATI.
emmanuel nyarko 10 years ago

Why Ghana and not already affected country this shows that NDC can not help Ghana so people should think twice and vote them out.

Why Ghana and not already affected country this shows that NDC can not help Ghana so people should think twice and vote them out.
Kwaku Amexo 10 years ago

Thanks so much for the well written response.

Thanks so much for the well written response.
Private Mensah 10 years ago

Shame on ignorant gov for trying to kills us

Shame on ignorant gov for trying to kills us
back door director 10 years ago

You are completely out of tune with events. If this news came from the tabloids. I would have not commented.
Where were you in the heat of the controversy. Answers have been provided to all that you claim the academy raised. ...
read full comment

You are completely out of tune with events. If this news came from the tabloids. I would have not commented.
Where were you in the heat of the controversy. Answers have been provided to all that you claim the academy raised.
Public agenda always do your homework. The health of Ghanaians is the mandate of the Ministry of Health.. The statutory body to handle trials is the Food and Drugs Authority and not the Ghana academy of arts and sciences.
For your information the academy was not consulted in many drug trials in this country.
Please the academy has many members who have passed their prime and still stick to archaic theories.
Anyway what will be the answer of the academy when there is an outbreak of Ebola.
We are suffering from an epidemic of fear and instead of dealing with issues in the laboratories the academy decided to use the public space.

They have opened the flood gates. Henceforth any research by members of the academy will be subjected to public scrutiny by all whether we understand the methodology or not.
Public agenda I know you are a public interest newspaper but please keep abreast with developments and not regurgitate stale news.
Do you have a research department.just asking
JH. New York 10 years ago

There you are!.
Every subject or virtually any issues whether literally,scientific,legal,etc,is based on Simple Common Sense approach.Therefore,majority of commentators on the impending (about to happen)Ebola Trial,needed n ...
read full comment

There you are!.
Every subject or virtually any issues whether literally,scientific,legal,etc,is based on Simple Common Sense approach.Therefore,majority of commentators on the impending (about to happen)Ebola Trial,needed not to be Masters in the Subject to raised their concerns. However, without Scientific Conclusions,it becomes mere public speculations. Therefore,this report by the Academy is what the general public expected from the Scientific Community to make informed final decisions.Good.
kofi 10 years ago

NDC government will go any length to take any money which is foreign currency without first thinking of the ramifications of the people.
.

NDC government will go any length to take any money which is foreign currency without first thinking of the ramifications of the people.
.
ibn abudu @ Canadasheabutter (GhUWR) 10 years ago

GSK IS A NOTORIOUS CORRUPT , CRIMINAL INSTITUTION. THESE GSK VACCINES WERE MANUFACTURED IN THEIR QUEBEC PLANT WHICH I.D. BIOMEDICALS OF QUEBEC THAT HAVE VIOLATED SANITARY MANUFACTURING STANDARDS & ISSUED SEVERAL WARNING BY FD ...
read full comment

GSK IS A NOTORIOUS CORRUPT , CRIMINAL INSTITUTION. THESE GSK VACCINES WERE MANUFACTURED IN THEIR QUEBEC PLANT WHICH I.D. BIOMEDICALS OF QUEBEC THAT HAVE VIOLATED SANITARY MANUFACTURING STANDARDS & ISSUED SEVERAL WARNING BY FDA . EXECUTIVES OF GSK ARE IMPRISONED IN CHINA , SYRIA FOR CORRUPT PRACTICES AND GSK SETTLED ONE OF THE BIGGEST PHARMACEAUTICAL FRAUD CASES TO THE TUNE OF US$3 BILLION ( THREE BILLIONS DOLLARS IN THE UNITED STATES . THEIR VACCINES HAVE KILLED BABIES IN ARGENTINA , PHILIPPINES .

THE GHANA INTERGRITY COMMISSION MUST INVESTIGATE THOSE SPEARHEADING THE TRIAL VACCINES IN GHANA FOR CORRUPTION & THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS SCRUTINIZED THEY ARE BEDFELLOWS OF ONE OF THE NOTORIOUS CRIMINAL PHARMACEAUTICAL COMPANIES IN THE WORLD

VACCINES EQUALS SUDDEN DEATHS , HYPERKALAMIA , CARDIAC ARREST , SUDDEN COLLAPSES AUTISMS & MUCH MORE DEATH.

back door director 10 years ago

You seem to know too much. What will you do when Ebola arrives. Whether it is made by the Americans or Chinese is not important.
What will be our response. No wonder even cholera kills us due to our very filthy nature.
Wher ...
read full comment

You seem to know too much. What will you do when Ebola arrives. Whether it is made by the Americans or Chinese is not important.
What will be our response. No wonder even cholera kills us due to our very filthy nature.
Where is our academy on cholera. Granted Ebola is not here. What are those old men at the academy saying about cholera.
Is it not a shame that we die from cholera or that one too is the fault of GSK.
To the GSK bashers if you are that principled please stop taking any antibiotics or anti hypertensives manufactured by them.
No wonder a fe
Adjorlolo 10 years ago

Please try the Vaccine on those in the FLAG STAFF HOUSE first. The second trial should be tested on the CEO of FDA family of Prof. Dodoo. We are waiting to see the ONE who will Dare come to the Volta Region. We Jealousy GUAR ...
read full comment

Please try the Vaccine on those in the FLAG STAFF HOUSE first. The second trial should be tested on the CEO of FDA family of Prof. Dodoo. We are waiting to see the ONE who will Dare come to the Volta Region. We Jealousy GUARD the Lives of OUR PEOPLE. Your SATANIC Agenda will not SEE light Day, we MEAN IT. VOLTARIANS ARISE THE DEFENSE OF THE HEALTH OF REGION. LET us Fight Satanic Agents who are hell bound to destroy the handsome and beautiful people of this Region. MI TSO Loooooo!!!
Mawuetornam Dugbazah 10 years ago

Clearly, the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) contributed their quota in dealing with this issue.

However, more still needs to be done to expose the fraud of vaccination science. I wonder what GAAS has to say abo ...
read full comment

Clearly, the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) contributed their quota in dealing with this issue.

However, more still needs to be done to expose the fraud of vaccination science. I wonder what GAAS has to say about this.

Also, I wonder what the GAAS technical committee was paid for its investigation. The details of this would certainly shed light on some other issues.
Uncommon Sense 10 years ago

The august body has given its view on the matter. Better not rush into this highly unwise venture, govt of Ghana. It is not about losing an election. It is about potentially losing the country! Right now Ghana is seen in a po ...
read full comment

The august body has given its view on the matter. Better not rush into this highly unwise venture, govt of Ghana. It is not about losing an election. It is about potentially losing the country! Right now Ghana is seen in a positive light around the world. Don't mess up! Don't bring Ebola-related ills to the land. You don't have to. Tell those putting pressure on you from the West that the people of Ghana...both lay people and the academic/scientific community, are highly skeptical of and have reservations against any such testing.
johnn 10 years ago

No one should allow any vaccine into his or her body, especially this ebola trial vaccine. What these so called experts are unaware of is the kind of hidden agenda of WHO and others pushing for Ghanaians and Africans to RECIE ...
read full comment

No one should allow any vaccine into his or her body, especially this ebola trial vaccine. What these so called experts are unaware of is the kind of hidden agenda of WHO and others pushing for Ghanaians and Africans to RECIEVE INJECTIONS. We can never be sure of the hidden contents of the vaccines but can be sure of the results, NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON THE BODY. Please all should do their research on the Internet.

25 Comments

Welcome,

SIGN IN

Welcome,

RESET PASSWORD

Hello,

Terms and conditions

REGISTER

Doubts over integrity of Ebola trials

Read Comments .st0{display:none;fill:#14BDD3;} .st1{display:none;} .st2{display:inline;fill:#FC0F0F;} .st3{display:inline;fill:#FFFFFF;} .st4{display:inline;fill:none;stroke:#000000;stroke-width:6;stroke-miterlimit:10;} Comments (25)

Read Comments Comments (25)