The Ebola virus is spreading rapidly and to an unexpected extent. The outbreak does not follow the patterns experienced in the past and the virus shows a new disease dynamic in regions, where it has never been recorded before. For this reason, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, acatech - the German Academy of Science and Engineering, and the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities have presented a statement on the Ebola epidemic.

Initial human testing of an investigational vaccine to prevent Ebola virus disease will begin next week by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The early-stage trial will begin initial human testing of a vaccine co-developed by NIAID and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and will evaluate the experimental vaccine's safety and ability to generate an immune system response in healthy adults.

BBK Worldwide, a leading clinical trial marketing firm, has unveiled two new mobile apps for patient and site engagement, My Clinical Study Buddy℠ and My Clinical Study Buddy℠ Protocol Pointers Edition. Available for Apple® and Android™ mobile phones and tablets, both apps are available on the App Store℠ and Google Play™ and are being demoed at this week's DIA 2014 50th Annual Meeting at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, Calif., June 16-19 at BBK booth #2309.

One in ten of the world's population will have diabetes by 2035 according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The latest edition IDF Diabetes Atlas, published today on World Diabetes Day, estimates that people living with diabetes will surge from 382 million to 59 2 million people by 2035, many in low and middle income countries and the majority under 60. This surge will form the backdrop of the World Diabetes Congress (#WDC2013) in Melbourne, Australia this December.

An international public-private partnership (PPP) was launched in July last year to develop a new pediatric formulation to combat schistosomiasis - commonly known as bilharzia - in preschool children. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grants $1.15 million to support some research & development activities before Phase I clinical trials.

The BMJ and Channel 4 Dispatches investigated and found that evidence suggesting potential harm from the drugs in industry studies has not been published. Some independent studies challenge the conclusions of the drugs manufacturers' own research. Now some medical experts and patient groups are calling on the pharmaceutical companies to be more transparent in reporting of study data and to enter into dialogue about safety concerns.

Transparent information on the evidence supporting global recommendations on paediatric medicines should be easily accessible in order to help policy makers decides on what drugs to include in their national drug lists, according to international experts from Ghana and the UK writing in this week's PLOS Medicine.