Merck and Wellcome move forward with Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine production
Merck and the global charity Wellcome are advancing a candidate vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola through their Singapore‑based joint venture, Hilleman Laboratories. The effort, supported by up to $8.5 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), aims to manufacture doses for early‑stage clinical trials that could begin by the end of the year.
The vaccine candidate, developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and highlighted by the World Health Organization as the most promising, uses the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) platform also employed in Merck’s licensed Ervebo vaccine for the Zaire Ebola strain. CEPI is also funding other candidates – up to $8.6 million for an Oxford‑based vaccine and $50 million for a Moderna version.
The push comes as the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has infected 3,360 people and killed 1,487 as of July 29, with no approved treatments currently available.
Entities: Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) · Hilleman Laboratories · International AIDS Vaccine Initiative · Merck & Co. · Wellcome
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Hilleman Laboratories is a joint venture between Merck and Wellcome. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Doses could be ready for clinical testing by the end of this year. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The partnership is manufacturing doses of an experimental vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] CEPI is providing up to $8.5 million to fund the manufacturing effort. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] CEPI is investing up to $8.6 million for an Oxford‑based vaccine and up to $50 million for a Moderna candidate. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has infected 3,360 people and killed 1,487 as of July 29. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The vaccine uses the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) platform also used in Merck’s Ervebo Ebola vaccine. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The vaccine candidate was developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and singled out by WHO as the most promising. (All articles)