UNICEF, Gavi launch call to manufacturers in support of accelerated access to Bundibugyo Ebolavirus vaccines

In a move designed to accelerate access to a vaccine against Bundibugyo Ebolavirus disease, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance today announced the launch of a Request for Expression of Interest (EOI) to gather information from vaccine developers and manufacturers on their plans to develop a vaccine against the disease.

Building on Gavi’s recent commitment of US$40 million to support accelerated vaccine access, this EOI will help inform how that financing can best support manufacturing scale-up and rapid access to doses if and when they become available.

The Expression of Interest, issued by UNICEF today, builds on ongoing engagement with manufacturers and partners including WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and will support an expedited assessment and prioritisation of the most promising vaccine candidates. Any subsequent agreements support manufacturing readiness – including the production of investigational doses to manufacturing scale-up – for emergency usein outbreak response, in line with appropriate policy recommendations.

The severe and highly lethal Bundibugyo Ebolavirus is the source of the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. With 1,094 cases confirmed, and 277 deaths in eastern DRC, some of them children, and 20 confirmed cases and two deaths in Uganda, accelerating the development and roll-out of effective and safe vaccines is a critical global priority. While the Gavi-funded global stockpile of vaccines against the Ebola Zaire species – procured and managed by UNICEF on behalf of the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision – has been leveraged several times for outbreak response, there is currently no vaccine available against the Bundibugyo species.

Gavi has committed US$50 million through its First Response Fund (FRF) to support the ongoing outbreak response: up to US$10 million dedicated to safeguarding routine immunization, protection of health care workers, and outbreak response, and up to US$40 million as pull financing to accelerate vaccine access. The EOI will help Gavi design an intervention that leverages this vaccine financing for greatest impact: accelerating manufacturing scale-up of the most promising candidates, supporting regulatory pathways such as WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) and WHO prequalification, and establishing access to doses of investigational and licensed vaccines. This will ensure that once a vaccine proves effective and policy recommendations have been issued, doses are available and can be rapidly deployed whether for emergency use prior to WHO EUL or, in the longer term, as part of an established procurement mechanism supporting licensed vaccines.

In the call to developers and manufacturers to provide information about their candidate vaccines – including projected development timelines, product suitability, and alignment with public health priorities – special consideration will be given to proposals where production will be based in Africa. Manufacturer responses will also inform future UNICEF procurement of vaccines.

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