Africa CDC Seeks Approval for Trial of Merck's Ervebo Vaccine Against Bundibugyo Virus

The Africa CDC plans to present evidence to the World Health Organization's vaccine advisers in support of testing Merck's licensed Ebola vaccine, Ervebo, against the Bundibugyo virus driving the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The move addresses a central gap in the response: there is no licensed vaccine for Bundibugyo ebolavirus, and the outbreak has become the largest ever recorded in the DRC, with 3,605 confirmed cases and 1,587 deaths as of July 30.

Africa CDC is proposing a trial, not deploying a vaccine. Ervebo has never been shown to protect humans against Bundibugyo virus. The scientific case has strengthened over the past several weeks, with a research letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine assessing cross-reactive Bundibugyo antibody responses in serum from people who had received licensed Ebola vaccines.

Africa CDC is working with Médecins Sans Frontières on a two-dose design, which would involve giving a dose of Ervebo followed by a dose of an experimental vaccine developed against Sudan virus. If the proposal clears scientific and regulatory review, frontline health care workers are likely to be enrolled first.