Trump admin bets on experimental Ebola vax

The Trump administration has awarded $36 million to IAVI, a New York-based biomedical research organization, to develop an experimental vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The funding comes from HHS’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and will support manufacturing for a Phase I trial of an IAVI candidate built on the same platform as Ervebo, the FDA-approved vaccine for the Zaire strain. IAVI expects the first doses for safety testing early next year, with Phase I results targeted for the second quarter. The trial is planned for the U.S. or Africa, not the Congo, due to limited resources, with subsequent efficacy testing in the outbreak area.