As the DRC continues to battle an Ebola outbreak, efforts to develop a vaccine specifically targeting the Bundibugyo virus are being accelerated.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has agreed to provide up to $16.5 million in funding to support Minapharm in advancing the vaccine to its first human clinical trial in Africa.
The vaccine was developed by ProBioGen, a Berlin-based German company that is part of the Minapharm Group.
Minapharm announced that it has started manufacturing the vaccine designed to target the Ebola strain currently spreading in the DRC.
The project is the fifth initiative supported by CEPI to develop a vaccine specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Other CEPI-supported programmes use different technologies, including Moderna’s messenger RNA technology, ChAdOx technology developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, as well as rVSV technology being used by other research institutions.
Despite the promise of the programme, the vaccine is not yet being used to respond to the current outbreak in the DRC because it remains under development. At present, there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
The vaccine uses a modified virus that is unable to replicate in human cells but is designed to help the immune system recognize and fight components of the Bundibugyo virus.
Before being tested in humans, the vaccine must first undergo laboratory and preclinical studies. It will then move to a Phase One clinical trial to assess its safety and its ability to trigger an immune response against Ebola.
Manufacturing will take place between Berlin, Germany, and Cairo, Egypt. ProBioGen will initially produce the key starting material for the vaccine, after which Minapharm will manufacture the final product in Egypt. The company also plans to eventually transfer all vaccine production activities to Cairo.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said the development of the vaccine by an African-based company represents an important step that could help strengthen Africa’s capacity to manufacture its own tools for fighting epidemics.
While a specific Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine is still under development, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a trial of the Ervebo vaccine, which is approved for protection against the Zaire strain of Ebola. Although its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo strain has not yet been established, laboratory and animal studies have suggested that it may provide some level of protection.
Since the 17th Ebola outbreak began in the DRC in mid-May, 5,945 cases have been reported across six provinces. Of these, 2,862 people have died, while 1,327 have recovered, according to figures released by the DRC’s National Public Health Institute.
The reported case fatality rate of 48.1 percent has underlined the seriousness of the outbreak and the continuing public health challenge facing the DRC.
