SK Bioscience joins US-backed project to develop Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine

SK Bioscience has announced its participation in a U.S. government-funded initiative aimed at creating and manufacturing a vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is currently ravaging the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project, a collaboration with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and Singapore-based Hilleman Laboratories, will be funded up to 130.9 billion won ($99 million) by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.

The initial allocation of $36 million has already been confirmed. This funding will be utilized for various aspects of the project, including clinical and regulatory work, a Phase 1 trial to assess the vaccine's safety in a small population, and the production and distribution of vaccines for outbreak response. Plans are also in place to develop an enhanced version of the vaccine to combat emerging variant strains.

As of Sunday, the Congo outbreak has recorded 10,060 confirmed cases and 4,887 deaths, marking it as the most severe Ebola outbreak to date.