BERGEN, Norway, July 7 (World Daily Times) — An experimental oral vaccine against a dangerous form of E. coli protected children from severe diarrheal illness in a phase 2b trial in The Gambia, offering an early sign that a future vaccine could help reduce a major cause of childhood sickness in low-income countries.
The vaccine, called ETVAX, was tested in about 5,000 children ages 6 to 18 months in a randomized, placebo-controlled study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Researchers reported no vaccine-related serious adverse events, and said the vaccine triggered immune responses against ETEC colonization factors and heat-labile toxins.
Protection varied by analysis. The study reported 26.6% efficacy against the trial’s primary endpoint, 48.2% against moderate-to-severe ETEC diarrhea when co-pathogens were included, and 80.6% when children with certain intestinal parasites were excluded. When vaccination began before 9 months of age, efficacy was reported at 67.8%.
The authors said the trial was the first demonstration of protective efficacy by ETVAX in young children at risk and said the findings support a larger, multicountry phase 3 study. A 2025 review in PMC said there are still no licensed ETEC vaccines, underscoring that ETVAX remains experimental.
