The first vaccine against the Bundibugyo ebola virus is poised to enter phase 1 clinical trial.
The trial will be conducted in the U.K. and will assess the safety and immune response of the vaccine candidate, called ChAdOx1 BDBV, in 50 healthy adults 18 to 55 years old. Recruitment for the trial is underway, and the first patients are to be vaccinated in the coming weeks, following regulatory review.
The ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine was developed by the University of Oxford’s Oxford Vaccine Group in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India using the same platform as the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
“Every step brings a safe and effective vaccine closer and helps strengthen our ability to protect vulnerable communities, save lives and bring this outbreak under control”, said Nicole Lurie, M.D., CEPI Executive Director Preparedness and Response, in the release.
Since the declaration of the outbreak on May 15th and the spread across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, it has been a global race to develop a vaccine, begin trials, and get people vaccinated. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) launched an $8.6 million partnership with the University of Oxford and Serum Institute to advance the development of the vaccines to trial.
In preparation for the phase 1 trial, the Serum Institute has supplied 4,000 investigational doses of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine. Beyond that, they have 620,000 doses stored and ready for use in the future.
If the phase 1 trial is successful, CEPI plans to support the University of Oxford in late-stage trials to get data aimed for emergency approval and licensure of the vaccine.
CEPI has recently struck up collaborations with other powerhouses such as Merck & Co., Moderna and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) to advance their portfolio of additional vaccine candidates to trial.
Earlier this year, CEPI gifted $30 million to Merck to develop an updated Ebola vaccine to remove existing barriers related to affordability and accessibility. In the U.S., the New Jersey pharma offers Ervebo, which is approved by the FDA to prevent disease caused by the Zaire ebolavirus in individuals 12 months of age and older.
IAVI’s candidate uses the rVSV vaccine platform that is WHO-prequalified for a different Ebola strain. Moderna’s vaccine is an mRNA-based vaccine that hinges on the same technology as its COVID-19 vaccine and builds on existing research on Ebola viruses.
More recently, Merck is considering making Lagevrio, an anti-viral pill used for emergency purposes during the COVID pandemic, available as an Ebola treatment, Merck CMO Eliav Barr, M.D. told Reuters.