The global health organisation CEPI has announced an allocation of approximately $60 million to Moderna (MRNA.O) and two additional entities to expedite the development of vaccines targeting the Ebola Bundibugyo virus, which has significantly impacted eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations was one of the early investors that helped to develop a vaccine at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Richard Hatchett, head of CEPI, said it was possible to get Ebola Bundibugyo (BDBV) vaccines ready for trials within a couple of months.
There are currently no approved BDBV vaccines or treatments.
Hatchett said the promise of vaccines on “a not infinitely distant horizon” should help to start conversations about who would buy them and fund any roll-out.
But he cautioned that vaccine development can be unpredictable and the challenging security situation in eastern Congo would make trials complex.
ALSO READ: UN Releases $60 Million for Congo Ebola Response
There have been 282 confirmed cases in Congo, including 42 deaths, and around 1,100 suspected cases, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
Another nine cases have been confirmed in Uganda, including one death. Global health agencies have declared the outbreak a public health emergency.
CEPI has committed up to $50 million to support preclinical and early clinical development of Moderna’s investigational BDBV vaccine candidate.
The funding would also support manufacturing and progression to later-stage trials if early data are positive, Moderna said.
“We have worked on Ebola in preclinical models showing great results,” Moderna Chief Executive Stephane Bancel said in a telephone interview.
Reuters
