As a fast-spreading Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo claims 1,487 lives, Hilleman Laboratories—a Merck-Wellcome joint venture—partners with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative to manufacture an experimental vaccine. Backed by $8.5 million from CEPI, the effort leverages Merck's technical expertise to prepare clinical trial doses by late 2026, while parallel trials evaluate therapeutic drugs.
Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in Congo
- ▪The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.
- ▪An Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has infected 3,360 people and killed 1,487 as of July 29, 2026.
Hilleman-IAVI vaccine manufacturing effort
- ▪Hilleman Laboratories, a Singapore-based joint venture between Merck and Wellcome, is preparing to manufacture doses of an experimental Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.
- ▪Hilleman Laboratories will use starting material from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative to produce finished vaccine doses for early-stage clinical trials, which could be ready by the end of 2026.
CEPI funding for vaccine candidates
- ▪The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations committed up to $50 million to develop a Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine candidate with Moderna.
- ▪The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is funding a separate Bundibugyo vaccine candidate from the University of Oxford with up to $8.6 million.
- ▪The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is providing up to $8.5 million in funding to support the Hilleman Laboratories vaccine manufacturing effort.
Merck rVSV platform technical expertise
- ▪Merck will serve as a technical adviser, contributing scientific and manufacturing expertise on the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus platform to Hilleman Laboratories.
- ▪The experimental International AIDS Vaccine Initiative vaccine uses the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus platform, which is the same platform used for Merck's approved Ervebo vaccine.
- ▪Merck and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations partnered earlier in 2026 on a $30 million program to update the manufacturing processes of the Ervebo vaccine.
Treatment trials for Bundibugyo Ebola
- ▪Clinical trials are underway testing Mapp Biopharmaceuticals' pan-Ebola virus antibody drug MBP134 and Gilead Sciences' antiviral remdesivir, both alone and in combination.
Antibody therapies under WHO consideration
- ▪The World Health Organization is considering clinical trials of Regeneron's antibody drug maftivimab in combination with two other antibodies, alongside Gilead Sciences' oral antiviral drug obeldesivir.
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