A healthcare worker holds syringes with the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination centre, in El Paso, Texas, U.S May 6, 2021. Picture taken May 6, 2021. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
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The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi) has committed funds to advance three investigational vaccines targeting the Bundibugyo ebolavirus that has caused the epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Uganda.The prospective candidtates backed by Cepi include candidates developed by IAVI; Moderna; and the University of Oxford, which will be manufactured at the Serum Institute of India (SII), it said.With no licensed vaccines available for Bundibugyo virus and none in clinical development, Cepi’s action reflects the critical need to produce tools to help curtail the outbreak, complementing ongoing public health interventions by affected countries, it added. The coalition will also evaluate additional promising candidates to strengthen the pipeline, including through an open call for proposals, and expects to announce additional partnerships shortly, it said.Vaccine Technology“With Bundibugyo virus spreading rapidly and no licensed vaccines, every day counts in the race against this deadly disease,” saidRichard Hatchett, Cepi Chief Executive. The current outbreak - declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Africa CDC, respectively - has already caused more than 900 suspected cases and more than 220 suspected deaths, making it the third largest Filovirus outbreak in history, Cepi said. The three vaccine candidates were selected based on CEPI’s comprehensive global review of Bundibugyo virus vaccines in consultation with WHO and the Africa CDC, among others. “Each uses a different validated vaccine technology to maximize the likelihood of success,” the note said.Clinical Efficacy“All of the underlying vaccine technology platforms have extensive safety data and have been used to develop vaccine candidates that have shown preclinical or clinical efficacy against related filoviruses such as Zaire Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Marburg virus. The safety data accumulated with the platforms and this prior experience with related viruses strongly suggests that safe and effective vaccines can be developed against the Bundibugyo virus,” it added.Cepi’s funding will advance each vaccine candidate so it is ready to begin clinical trials as quickly as possible,it said. “If Phase 1 trials are successful, CEPI anticipates working with partners to support late-stage trials to generate data for emergency use authorization or licensure,” it added.Bundibugyo virus vaccine portfolioCepi committed initial funding of up to $3.2 million to IAVI for preparations necessary “to generate a Master Virus Seed stock – the starting material needed to manufacture a vaccine – and initiate testing of the seed in an established process using material originally developed at The University of Texas Medical Branch.” The coalition has committed up to $50 million for preclinical testing and Phase 1 clinical trials of the Moderna product, and will support simultaneous manufacturing of doses to enable large-scale Phase 2/3 trials to begin immediately if Phase 1 data supports progression, it said. This candidate uses the same scalable mRNA technology validated during Covid-19, it said, and the latest collaboration taps into Cepi’s existing strategic partnership with Moderna.Cepi also committed initial funding of up to $8.6 million to fund preclinical testing and other development activities to prepare for Phase 1 trials of a vaccine based on the University of Oxford’s ChAdOx1 platform, which underpinned the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, it said. “The funding will also support creation of a Master Virus Seed stock and manufacturing of clinical-grade doses at SII under Cepi’s pre-existing agreement with the company. This programme leverages Cepi’s existing strategic partnership with the University of Oxford and SII’s participation in Cepi’s Vaccine Manufacturing Facility Network,” it added.Adar Poonawalla, Serum Institute chief said, “SII will bring its manufacturing capabilities to this collaboration with Cepi and the University of Oxford to help advance a Bundibugyo virus vaccine candidate as quickly as possible.”Published on June 2, 2026
