Trump Administration Awards $36 Million for Bundibugyo Ebola Vaccine as Congo Outbreak Tops 10,000 Cases
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Oct 29
Trump Administration Awards $36 Million for Bundibugyo Ebola Vaccine as Congo Outbreak Tops 10,000 Cases
1 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Oct 29
Summary
$36 million from HHS will fund IAVI’s experimental Bundibugyo Ebola shot, covering manufacturing of doses for a Phase I clinical trial expected to start early next year.
More than 10,000 infections and 5,000 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have driven the push; Bundibugyo has no licensed vaccine or treatment, and the outbreak is already the second-largest on record.
IAVI said the candidate uses the same platform as Ervebo, the FDA-approved vaccine for the Zaire Ebola strain, with Phase I safety results expected in next year’s second quarter.
The initial trial is planned for the U.S. or Africa rather than Congo because of limited local resources, and efficacy testing could follow in the outbreak zone if early data are favorable.
HHS has also awarded $37 million to Public Health Vaccines for a similar Bundibugyo program, adding to a field that includes Ervebo testing and five other early-stage candidates.