Gavi Vaccines Alliance in deal with Merck & Co for Ebola vaccine

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has signed an agreement with the MSD subsidiary of US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) to support the provision of a vaccine to protect against future deadly Ebola outbreaks.

The agreement, announced today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, will help Merck take the vaccine through licensure and World Health Organization prequalification.

Under the Advance Purchase Commitment, Gavi has provided $5 million towards the development of Merck’s rVSV∆G-ZEBOV-GP live attenuated Ebola Zaire vaccine, on the understanding that it will be submitted for licensure by the end of 2017. If approved, it would become one of the world’s first licensed Ebola vaccines and Gavi would be able to begin purchasing the vaccine to create a stockpile for future outbreaks.