Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (MSD) have committed to supporting the purchase of an Ebola vaccine to protect people from outbreaks of the deadly disease.
This move will further speed the vaccine’s development and approval. Now, Merck can carry through the vaccine for its licensure and prequalification from the World Health Organization.
“The suffering caused by the Ebola crisis was a wake-up call to many in the global health community,”
Gavi CEO
Seth Berkley said. “New threats require smart solutions and our innovative financing agreement with Merck will ensure that we are ahead of the curve for future Ebola outbreaks.”
This advanced purchase agreement pertains to the live attenuated Ebola Zaire vaccine. The goal is to submit it to licensure by December 2017.
“We are very pleased to join with Gavi in announcing this Advance Purchase Commitment agreement to support the provision of MSD’s investigational monovalent Ebola Zaire vaccine — in case of a resurgence of the Ebola outbreak or a new outbreak,” Julie Gerberding, an executive vice president for Merck, said. “We applaud Gavi for this bold step to be a part of the solution to address a disease that has impacted so many lives.”
