Singapore Group to Develop Promising Ebola Vaccine for Human Trials

Hilleman Laboratories, based in Singapore, announced on Thursday that it will advance the development of an Ebola vaccine known as rVSV Bundibugyo so it can be tested in human clinical trials. The World Health Organization has identified this single dose shot as the most promising candidate to combat a deadly outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This strain previously had no vaccines or treatments, and deaths in the country are estimated between 1,300 and 1,500 people.

The vaccine uses the same platform as Ervebo, which is the only officially licensed Ebola vaccine but targets the Zaire strain. Hilleman Laboratories is a joint venture between the British charity Wellcome Trust and the American pharmaceutical company MSD, also known as Merck in North America. MSD will serve as a technical adviser for the project.

Funding has been pledged by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). If authorized, CEPI and Hilleman Laboratories intend to ensure that doses are affordable and available in low and middle income settings. A key advantage of the rVSV Bundibugyo vaccine is its storage requirements; while Ervebo requires ultra low temperatures, the new jab is expected to last for months in standard refrigerators.

The announcement follows a recent development by Oxford University, which began clinical trials for a different Bundibugyo vaccine last week. In May, WHO experts suggested it would take seven to nine months before the rVSV vaccine was ready for human assessment.