Moderna Secures $50M to Develop Ebola Bundibugyo Vaccine
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has approved approximately $60 million in funding to accelerate vaccine development against the Ebola Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), a highly fatal strain currently affecting regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
Moderna, a prominent biotech firm, will receive up to $50 million to support the preclinical and early clinical development of its investigational vaccine candidate for BDBV. The funding will also cover manufacturing and potential progression to later trial stages, contingent upon positive early data.
Richard Hatchett, CEPI’s chief, noted the possibility of having vaccines ready for clinical trials within months, emphasizing the urgency due to the virus’s recent outbreak. Currently, no licensed vaccines or treatments exist for the Bundibugyo strain.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, the outbreak has resulted in 282 confirmed cases including 42 deaths in the DRC, with an additional nine confirmed cases and one death reported in Uganda. The WHO has declared the situation a public health emergency.
Moderna’s Chief Executive Officer, Stephane Bancel, highlighted the company’s prior work on Ebola in preclinical models, showing promising results. He stressed the goal of developing a vaccine that is both effective and simplifies dosing, although it remains uncertain if the vaccine will require one or two doses. These details will be clarified during phase 1 trials, which are planned to take place in Africa.
Other vaccine candidates also received funding through CEPI. The University of Oxford, partnered with the Serum Institute of India, was granted up to $8.6 million to develop their vaccine using technology similar to the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) received an initial $3.2 million for its single-dose Bundibugyo vaccine candidate, which utilizes technology from Merck’s approved vaccine Ervebo for the Zaire strain of Ebola.
Mark Feinberg, CEO of IAVI, noted the uncertainty surrounding the organization of future clinical trials and highlighted the need for substantial financial resources to advance vaccine candidates into clinical phases. He mentioned that the World Health Organization has indicated it may not lead these trials moving forward.
Hatchett also pointed out the logistical challenges posed by security issues in eastern Congo that may complicate vaccine trials. He further stressed that securing access to vaccines where needed is another critical hurdle, recalling that about 300,000 doses of Ervebo were required during the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in the region.
In addition to CEPI’s funding, the global vaccine alliance Gavi has committed up to $50 million towards the Ebola response, and the World Bank’s Pandemic Fund has pledged as much as $220.6 million in grants to support containment efforts.
These combined efforts underscore a growing international commitment to combat the spread of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus through rapid vaccine development and deployment.