The Rush for EBOLA Cure: Canada to Donate Ebola drugs to WHO 4 W. Africa

Canada will donate doses of its experimental Ebola vaccine to the international community and the World Health Organization will help determine who receives it, a federal official says.

The Canadian government expects to donate 800 to 1,000 doses of the experimental Ebola vaccine developed at the National Microbiology Laboratory.

On Wednesday, Heritage Minister Shelly Glover, who represents Winnipeg, where the National Microbiology Laboratory is located, said the WHO, advised by experts, will decide how to strike a balance on who gets the vaccine Canada offers to the international community.

"This is a decision made by experts not politicians," Glover told a news conference.

It takes about two to three months to make a batch of the experimental vaccine, said Dr. Gary Kobinger, who heads the special pathogens research program at the Winnipeg laboratory. The current batch was produced in Germany, he said.The number of doses available depends on whether the vaccine is used in its traditional form to prevent infection, or as a treatment, said Kobinger. Studies in animals suggest Canada's experimental vaccine can also be used to treat Ebola infection.

There's currently about 1,500 doses of the vaccine, Kobinger estimated.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-s-ebola-vaccine-recipients-to-be-picked-by-who-1.2735161