A new $30 million collaboration between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and MSD aims to significantly improve the affordability, accessibility and long-term sustainability of the Zaire ebolavirus vaccine, one of the world’s most critical tools against Ebola outbreaks. The initiative was unveiled at Health@Davos, a flagship health event held alongside the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting.
Under the partnership, MSD will work through Hilleman Laboratories—a joint venture between MSD and Wellcome—to develop an updated manufacturing process for its World Health Organization (WHO) pre-qualified Ebola vaccine. The revised process is designed to reduce production costs, improve supply resilience and make the vaccine easier to deploy in low- and middle-income countries, where Ebola outbreaks most often occur.
Ebola, caused by the Zaire ebolavirus, has a fatality rate of around 50% and continues to pose a serious public health threat in parts of Africa, including during a reported outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2025. While a global stockpile of MSD’s Ebola vaccine is used for outbreak response and for protecting healthcare and frontline workers, the current vaccine faces challenges related to cost, complex manufacturing and ultra-cold storage requirements of around –70°C, limiting its scalability and reach in resource-constrained settings.
The collaboration seeks to overcome these barriers by modernising the manufacturing process to increase yield and improve thermostability. If successful, the updated vaccine could be stored at standard refrigeration temperatures of 2–8°C for several months, greatly simplifying logistics during outbreak response and potentially lowering costs. These improvements are subject to regulatory review and public health approvals.
MSD will provide technical expertise and support to Hilleman Laboratories, while also exploring pathways to offer the updated vaccine to public sector buyers in low- and middle-income countries at a substantially reduced price, reflecting anticipated manufacturing efficiencies.
CEPI’s funding will support the clinical development of the updated vaccine, including a Phase 3 immunobridging clinical trial in African countries where the existing vaccine is already approved. The trial will compare immune responses generated by the updated vaccine with those of the currently licensed version to infer efficacy, pending ethical and regulatory clearances.
Researchers involved in the project expect that the improved process will enable faster, large-scale vaccine production in the event of a major outbreak, similar to the 2014–16 West African Ebola epidemic.
Beyond outbreak response, the initiative could also support expanded preventive vaccination for healthcare and frontline workers in high-risk regions, in line with current WHO recommendations.
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