CEPI Commits $30 Million to Revolutionize Ebola Vaccine Accessibility
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced a significant investment of $30 million to support the development of an updated Zaire ebolavirus vaccine. This strategic funding aims to enhance affordability, accessibility, and sustainability for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) across Africa, where Ebola outbreaks frequently occur in remote and resource-limited settings.
Collaborative Effort to Overcome Vaccine Barriers
This groundbreaking initiative brings together CEPI, the global biopharmaceutical company MSD, and Hilleman Laboratories. The primary goal is to update the manufacturing process of MSD's WHO-prequalified Ebola vaccine, addressing long-standing challenges such as high production costs, limited scalability, and stringent cold-chain requirements that have hindered widespread deployment in outbreak-prone regions.
In a statement released on Friday, CEPI CEO Dr. Richard Hatchett highlighted the progress made in combating Ebola over the past decade. "In a single decade, the world has transformed Ebola from a global emergency to a disease that can be stopped in its tracks," he said. "CEPI's support will help ensure a sustainable and accessible supply of MSD's Zaire ebolavirus vaccine for years to come at a more affordable price."
Dr. Hatchett emphasized that this partnership unites longstanding collaborators to bolster global defenses against one of humanity's deadliest pathogens, ultimately saving lives.
Addressing Manufacturing and Storage Challenges
The existing MSD Zaire ebolavirus vaccine, developed during the 2014–16 West African Ebola crisis, faces several critical issues:
- Complex Manufacturing: The production process is intricate and susceptible to supply disruptions, making the vaccine expensive and difficult to scale.
- Ultra-Low Temperature Storage: The vaccine must be stored at -70°C, posing substantial logistical hurdles in remote areas where Ebola outbreaks typically emerge.
CEPI's collaboration aims to overhaul the manufacturing process to increase yield and extend the vaccine's shelf life at 2–8°C. These technical improvements are expected to reduce production costs and allow storage in regular refrigerators for several months, facilitating easier deployment in outbreak settings, pending regulatory and public health approvals.
Strategic Partnerships for Global Health
Chirfi Guindo, Chief Marketing Officer of Human Health at MSD and MSD Shareholder Executive Leader for Hilleman Laboratories, outlined MSD's role in providing technical expertise and support. The company is exploring options to make the updated vaccine available to public-sector buyers in LMICs at a significantly lower price, reflecting anticipated cost reductions and subject to regulatory review.
"We believe strategic partnerships are essential to addressing some of the world's most serious health threats," Guindo stated. "We appreciate CEPI's support of Hilleman Laboratories' pioneering work in vaccine development for diseases affecting people in low- and middle-income countries."
Dr. Raman Rao, CEO of Hilleman Laboratories, praised CEPI for expanding its support for Ebola vaccine research and development. He stressed that advancing outbreak preparedness through this updated vaccine could save lives and prevent suffering in high-risk countries.
Clinical Development and Global Impact
CEPI's investment will fund the clinical development of the updated vaccine by Hilleman Laboratories, with SK Bioscience and IDT Biologika developing the updated drug substance process and associated drug product. Jaeyong Ahn, CEO of SK Bioscience, emphasized the necessity of strong global collaboration to combat deadly infectious diseases like Ebola.
Additionally, CEPI will finance a Phase 3 immunobridging clinical trial in African countries where the current vaccine is approved. This trial will assess the immune response of the updated vaccine compared to the licensed version to infer efficacy, pending ethical and regulatory approvals.
Enhancing Global Health Preparedness
MSD's WHO-prequalified Ebola vaccine is recommended for protection against Zaire ebolavirus, which has a survival rate of around 50% and causes frequent, unpredictable outbreaks in Africa, including a recent 2025 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A global stockpile is used for outbreak response and preventive vaccination for frontline and healthcare workers.
The updated manufacturing process is expected to:
- Facilitate large-scale vaccine production, enabling rapid response to outbreaks similar to the 2014–16 West African epidemic.
- Expand preventive vaccination for health and frontline workers in high-risk regions, aligning with WHO SAGE recommendations.
- Reduce the societal and economic impact of future Ebola outbreaks through improved accessibility and sustainability.
Launched in 2017 in response to the West African Ebola epidemic, CEPI continues to accelerate vaccine development against epidemic and pandemic threats, supporting research to expand access for vulnerable populations, including children and people living with HIV.
