Moderna announced on Monday a partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to develop a potential vaccine against Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV), the strain linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Under the agreement, CEPI has committed up to $50 million to support preclinical development and early clinical testing of Moderna's investigational BDBV vaccine candidate.
CEPI will also invest up to $8.6 million for a shot developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and an initial $3.2 million for a vaccine developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.
Last week, the World Health Organization recommended prioritizing several experimental drugs, including antibodies, antivirals, and vaccines, for the treatment and prevention of BDBV.
CEPI is a global partnership working to accelerate the development of vaccines against epidemic and pandemic threats.
