CEPI commits $61.8M to fast-track three Ebola vaccines

CEPI Fast-Tracks Three Bundibugyo Ebola Vaccine Candidates With $61.8 Million in Emergency Funding

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations announced on Monday that it will commit $61.8 million to urgently accelerate three investigational vaccine candidates against Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the strain driving a rapidly expanding outbreak across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda for which no approved vaccines exist.manufacturingchemist

Three Platforms, One Goal

CEPI’s investment spans three distinct vaccine technology platforms selected after a global review conducted with the World Health Organization, Africa CDC, Gavi, and affected countries.manufacturingchemist

Moderna will receive the largest share — up to $50 million — to fund preclinical testing and a Phase 1 clinical trial of an mRNA-based candidate. CEPI said it will simultaneously fund manufacturing at scale so that Phase 2/3 trials can begin immediately if early data support progression. “We will move with urgency and scientific rigor to support the response and help bring a potential vaccine closer to the communities that need it most,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a press release.stocktitan

The University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India are receiving up to $8.6 million to advance a candidate based on Oxford’s ChAdOx1 adenoviral vector — the same platform used in the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Funding will cover preclinical work, creation of a Master Virus Seed stock, and manufacture of clinical-grade doses at the Serum Institute.ox

IAVI is receiving up to $3.2 million to generate a Master Virus Seed stock and initiate testing using the rVSV platform, the technology behind the WHO-prequalified Ervebo vaccine for Zaire ebolavirus.who

A Race Against the Clock

The current outbreak, declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO, has resulted in more than 900 suspected cases and more than 220 suspected deaths, making it the third-largest filovirus outbreak in history. Unlike the more common Zaire strain, no vaccine candidates for Bundibugyo virus have yet reached clinical trials in humans.reuters

“With Bundibugyo virus spreading rapidly and no licensed vaccines, every day counts in the race against this deadly disease,” said CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett.stocktitan

Broadening the Pipeline

CEPI has also issued an open Call for Proposals to identify additional promising candidates and expects to announce further partnerships. The WHO said last week that the Oxford candidate could potentially produce doses within two to three months for clinical trial evaluation, while IAVI’s rVSV candidate — which the WHO called the most promising — would require an estimated seven to nine months before trial readiness.x

The funding announcement follows a separate $50 million commitment by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, announced on May 29, to support both accelerated vaccine access and outbreak response in affected countries.gavi