Merck Teams Up with Health Coalition to Create Affordable Ebola Vaccine

• The updated vaccine will address Ervebo's current complex and expensive manufacturing process, which limits scale production and accessibility
• Planned improvements include increased production yield and extended shelf life with standard refrigerator storage for several months
• Merck will partner with Hilleman Laboratories, SK bioscience, and IDT Biologika on development, with plans to offer significantly lower pricing to public-sector buyers in target countries

Summary

Partnership Details:

Merck has partnered with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) on a $30 million program to develop an improved version of its Ebola vaccine, Ervebo. The collaboration, announced January 21, aims to enhance affordability and access for low- and middle-income countries.

Key Objectives:

The partnership will focus on improving Ervebo's manufacturing process to increase production yield and extend shelf life. The current production process is complex and expensive, making large-scale manufacturing challenging. Planned improvements are expected to reduce costs and enable storage in standard refrigerators for several months, compared to current requirements.

Participants:

• Merck will collaborate with Hilleman Laboratories on vaccine development
• SK bioscience and IDT Biologika will work on updating the drug-substance and product processes
• CEPI will fund Hilleman's clinical development efforts
• Merck will explore options to supply public-sector buyers in low- and middle-income countries at significantly reduced prices

Market Implications:

This initiative addresses critical gaps in global health preparedness by making the WHO-prequalified Ebola vaccine more accessible to regions most vulnerable to outbreaks. The improved manufacturing efficiency could establish a model for affordable vaccine production in emerging markets. For Merck, this represents an expansion of its global health footprint while potentially opening new market opportunities in developing nations through public-sector agreements.

The collaboration underscores growing pharmaceutical industry engagement with public health organizations to address epidemic preparedness in resource-limited settings.