Hilleman Laboratories, a Singapore-based joint venture of Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) MSD division and Wellcome, said Thursday it will develop and manufacture clinical trial doses of an investigational Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine with up to $8.5 million in funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
The vaccine candidate uses the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) platform and is being advanced in response to the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. No approved vaccine currently exists for the strain.
Racing To Build A New Ebola Vaccine
Hilleman Laboratories will use vaccine material developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) to make doses for early-stage clinical trials. MSD will provide technical, scientific and manufacturing support for the vaccine’s rVSV platform. If the early trials are successful, the partners plan to transfer the technology to a larger manufacturer to produce more doses for later-stage studies and broader use.
“With Bundibugyo virus cases rising at worrying speed, the epidemic is fast becoming a humanitarian crisis,” CEPI Chief Executive Officer Dr. Richard Hatchett said. “No vaccine is currently approved against the virus, so we are urgently advancing vaccine candidates into testing. Built on the rVSV platform used in the licensed Zaire ebolavirus vaccine and supported by established manufacturing expertise from Hilleman and MSD, this vaccine candidate could become an important tool for Bundibugyo outbreak control and response.”
Hilleman Laboratories Chief Executive Officer Dr. Raman Rao said the company is building on its work to improve manufacturing of MSD’s approved Zaire Ebola vaccine.
“Collaborating with CEPI, we’re developing the tools to help fight the Bundibugyo virus,” Rao said. “Drawing on the latest vaccine technology and our ongoing development work to update the manufacturing process for the Zaire ebolavirus vaccine, we’re racing to develop a Bundibugyo vaccine and make doses for clinical trials.”
Hilleman said it will use the updated manufacturing process being developed for MSD’s WHO-prequalified Zaire Ebola vaccine. Backed by up to $30 million in CEPI funding announced earlier this year, the program aims to make more vaccine doses, improve storage by allowing refrigerated shelf life for several months and potentially lower costs, making the vaccine easier to use during outbreaks if approved.
Broader Response To The Outbreak
The announcement comes as health officials continue to warn about the growing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Earlier this year, the World Health Organization’s Africa regional director cautioned that it would be “a big mistake” to underestimate the outbreak, citing cross-border transmission risks and noting that no approved vaccine existed for the Bundibugyo strain.
Efforts to combat the outbreak have also expanded beyond vaccines. Earlier this week, Co-Diagnostics Inc. (NASDAQ:CODX) announced a successful proof of concept for an extraction-free diagnostic test targeting the Bundibugyo virus, highlighting broader industry efforts to strengthen outbreak detection and response alongside vaccine development.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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