Biomedical research organization IAVI secured a U.S. government contract worth up to $99 million, receiving an initial $36 million BARDA award to develop a single-dose vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. The funding supports dose manufacturing and partnerships with Hilleman Laboratories, SK bioscience, and IDT Biologika as confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo surpass 10,000 in its deadliest Bundibugyo outbreak.
IAVI vaccine contract and partnerships
- ▪The U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority award supports manufacturing vaccine doses for clinical testing, outbreak response, and an updated candidate targeting the 2026 Bundibugyo strain variant
- ▪Biomedical research organization IAVI announced on October 28, 2026, that it received a $36 million initial award under a U.S. government contract worth up to $99 million to advance a Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine candidate
- ▪IAVI is partnering with Hilleman Laboratories, SK bioscience, and IDT Biologika for the development, manufacturing, and production of the Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine
Single-dose Ebola vaccine candidate
- ▪Single-dose Ebola vaccines offer operational advantages during outbreaks by allowing rapid vaccination without the logistical requirements of a multidose regimen
- ▪IAVI stated that its single-dose rVSV-based vaccine candidate demonstrated protective efficacy in animal studies against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus
Severity of 2026 Democratic Republic of Congo outbreak
- ▪Democratic Republic of Congo government data released on October 27, 2026, confirmed that Ebola cases in the country surpassed 10,000
- ▪The 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the country's largest and deadliest outbreak attributed to the Bundibugyo strain
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