Global health funders fast-track three Ebola vaccines as outbreak continues to spread in Africa
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will “urgently accelerate” the development of three investigational vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo virus, responsible for the current Ebola...
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will “urgently accelerate” the development of three investigational vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo virus, responsible for the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the organisation announced on Monday.
"With Bundibugyo virus spreading rapidly and no licensed vaccines, every day counts in the race against this deadly disease,” said Dr Richard Hatchett, CEPI’s Chief Executive Officer.
“CEPI’s urgent funding and support for these three promising candidates aims to advance safe, effective vaccines to help control this epidemic.”
CEPI is a global public-private partnership that finances and accelerates the development of vaccines and biological countermeasures against emerging infectious diseases and potential pandemics.
The foundation announced that it will invest in a portfolio of inoculation candidates under development, including those developed by The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Moderna and the University of Oxford, which will be manufactured at the Serum Institute of India (SII).
The World Health Organization (WHO) identified these three vaccine candidates as the most promising ones currently under development to combat Ebola.
Where does progress currently stand?
CEPI announced up to $50 million (€43mn) for preclinical testing and Phase 1 clinical trials for Moderna’s candidate, which uses the same mRNA technology validated during COVID-19.
The University of Oxford and SII will receive an initial allocation of up to $8.6 million (€7.4mn) for preclinical testing and other development activities in preparation for Phase 1 trials.
IAIVI, meanwhile, will receive up to $3.2 million (€2.57mn); its candidate uses the same rVSV vaccine platform as an approved and WHO-prequalified vaccine against the Zaire strain of Ebola.
"CEPI's investment in three promising Bundibugyo virus vaccine candidates is an important step forward in our collective response,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO.
He added that a Bundibugyo vaccine could help to control this epidemic and strengthen preparedness for future outbreaks, calling it “exactly the kind of cross-sectoral collaboration that epidemic response demands.”
Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Prevention and Control, also welcomed the move.
“As we respond to an active Ebola outbreak in Africa, CEPI’s investment in three Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidates is both timely and critical to Africa’s health — as well as economic security and advancing Africa’s ambition to build sustainable R&D and vaccine manufacturing capacity on the continent,” he said.
All of the underlying vaccine technology platforms have extensive safety data and have been used to develop candidates demonstrating preclinical or clinical efficacy against other pathogens such as the Zaire and Sudan strains of Ebola, as well as the Marburg virus.
The current outbreak has caused at least 282 confirmed cases, the DRC confirmed on Sunday, with some 1,000 suspected cases recorded.
While vaccines are being developed, the WHO said the priority is to stop transmission with tools that have been used for decades in Ebola responses.
These include disease surveillance, rapid testing and diagnosis, contact tracing, isolation and care for patients, infection prevention and control, community engagement, and safe and dignified burials.
