The ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola virus (BDBV) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with cases recently reported in Kenya and Nigeria, has highlighted significant challenges in controlling transmission. While vaccines have been developed against other Ebola viruses, no vaccine is currently licensed specifically for BDBV. Ongoing clinical research, including the MSF-led BRAVO study and the Tumaini trial, is evaluating potential cross-protection from Ervebo, a vaccine licensed against Ebola virus (EBOV, formerly Zaire Ebola virus), and advancing BDBV-specific vaccine candidates. The Ervebo vaccine is also being used by the DRC Ministry of Health in the current outbreak, although its effectiveness against BDBV remains unproven.
Against this backdrop, MSF Access has published a technical brief examining four vaccine candidates through an access lens: Ervebo, rVSVΔG-BDBV-GP, ChAdOx1-BDBV-GP and mRNA-1469, which are either being evaluated in clinical trials or may enter trials in the future. The analysis highlights critical gaps in access planning, raising concerns about the present and future access to potentially effective BDBV vaccines. \u200b \u200b
Julien Potet, Senior Vaccines Advisor, MSF Access
“Vaccines are only useful if they are available to those at risk. MSF is concerned that access to the Ervebo vaccine being used in the Ebola outbreak in the DRC response, could be constrained by manufacturing challenges. At a time when vaccines are urgently needed to help control outbreaks like Ebola, we must leave no stone unturned to ensure available supplies reach affected communities without delay. MSF calls on the pharmaceutical corporation Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) to allocate all Ervebo doses produced in the coming months for the global stockpile and urge high-income countries to avoid reserving doses beyond their immediate public health needs. \u200b
Funders, developers and research organisations must seize the opportunity presented by ongoing and future vaccine trials to build clear access commitments into vaccine development from the outset.
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