Zika vaccines and therapeutics: landscape analysis and challenges ahead.

ABSTRACT:

Background

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.

Discussion

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 sev

SUBMITTER: Wilder-Smith A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5989336 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature