SK Bioscience is set to develop and mass-produce a vaccine for the Bundibugyo Ebola virus (BDBV) with support from the U.S. government. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), will provide up to $99 million (approximately 131 billion won) for the project, with an initial funding of $36 million (about 47.7 billion won) already confirmed.
On October 29, SK Bioscience announced its participation in the BARDA-supported Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine development project alongside the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and Hilleman Laboratories. This initiative aims to address the Bundibugyo virus infections spreading primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The funding will be allocated to clinical and regulatory activities, including Phase 1 clinical trials, pandemic response vaccine production, and the establishment of supply chains for health security. The participating organizations also plan to develop an upgraded vaccine that reflects variant virus strains.
IAVI will oversee the entire program and manage clinical development and regulatory responses with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Hilleman Laboratories will be responsible for producing the initial clinical vaccine and technology transfer.
SK Bioscience will lead the process scale-up and mass production. It plans to collaborate with its German subsidiary, IDT Biologika, to handle everything from aseptic filling to the production of finished pharmaceuticals.
The vaccine will be developed based on a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) platform, similar to the Zaire Ebola vaccine that has passed the World Health Organization's prequalification assessment (PQ). SK Bioscience has previously worked with MSD, Hilleman Laboratories, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) on the development of next-generation Zaire Ebola vaccines and improvements in manufacturing processes.
An Jae-yong, CEO of SK Bioscience, stated, "The collaboration capabilities of SK Bioscience and IDT have been recognized in the global market. We aim to contribute to global infectious disease response through rapid vaccine development and the establishment of a stable supply chain."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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