Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is exploring the deployment of a post-COVID emergency vaccine financing mechanism to support the development and manufacturing of experimental Ebola vaccines. This consideration comes as a fresh outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, continues to spread across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The current outbreak has led to more than 500 suspected cases and over 130 deaths in Congo alone, with confirmed infections also reported in Kampala, Uganda, raising significant concerns about potential cross-border transmission. The situation is particularly alarming because there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics specifically effective against the Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD). Existing Ebola vaccines, such as Merck’s Ervebo, were developed for the Zaire strain and are not expected to provide protection against the Bundibugyo variant.
Gavi's First Response Fund (FRF) Activated
Gavi is assessing whether its First Response Fund (FRF), established following crucial lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, can be utilized to facilitate rapid vaccine access and bolster outbreak response efforts. The FRF is designed to enable emergency access to vaccines outside Gavi’s regular portfolio through mechanisms like at-risk procurement and advance purchase commitments. These strategies aim to incentivize manufacturers to swiftly produce promising vaccine candidates during health emergencies.
The fund boasts a total allocation of $500 million through 2030, with up to $50 million immediately available for rapid deployment at the discretion of Gavi’s chief executive. Gavi is collaborating with key partners, including the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), UNICEF, the World Bank, and private-sector companies, to evaluate experimental vaccine candidates and accelerate research and manufacturing.
Experimental Vaccines and Development Challenges
Among the promising candidates under evaluation is a vaccine based on the rVSV platform, the same technology used in the licensed Ervebo vaccine, but modified to target the Bundibugyo strain. However, Gavi has noted that no doses are currently available for clinical trials, and manufacturing trial supplies could take an estimated six to nine months. Another candidate utilizes the ChAdOx platform, similar to technologies deployed in some COVID-19 vaccines, though no animal or human studies have yet been conducted for its efficacy against Bundibugyo virus disease.
“The specific strain causing this outbreak is known as Bundibugyo and has not been seen for over a decade,” stated Anaelle Tannen, Senior Infectious Disease Analyst at GlobalData. “While three antivirals and five vaccines are approved for Ebola worldwide, none are effective against the Bundibugyo strain.”
Despite the World Health Organization declaring the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and Africa CDC classifying it as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security, Tannen added that the global risk is currently assessed as low, and it is “not expected to become a pandemic.”
Global Response and India's Role
The outbreak is renewing global focus on the need for rapid-response vaccine manufacturing capabilities. India, for instance, has previously played a role, with the Serum Institute of India partnering with Oxford University during the 2022 Uganda Ebola outbreak to manufacture an experimental vaccine candidate for emergency response. Meanwhile, India’s Directorate General of Health Services has issued a health advisory for passengers arriving from or transiting through Ebola-affected countries, including Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, urging symptomatic travelers to report immediately to airport health authorities.
Gavi acknowledges that the current outbreak presents unique challenges due to transmission occurring among mobile and conflict-affected populations in hard-to-reach regions, complicating surveillance, vaccination, and containment efforts.