Sometimes it takes a village — to protect from a deadly outbreak of Ebola.

Vaccines offer that protection, and at Davos this week the vaccine alliance Gavi has just announced that it's signed a $5 million deal with Merck to stockpile 300,000 doses of anti-Ebola vaccine by May for emergencies and additional clinical trials. In addition, the pharmaceutical giant will apply to license its rVSV∆G-ZEBOV-GP live attenuated Ebola Zaire vaccine.

The deadly virus that claimed over 11,000 lives, infecting over 28,000, in its latest West African outbreak is very difficult to contain once it strikes. "The suffering caused by the Ebola crisis was a wake-up call to many in the global health community,” Gavi,CEO Dr. Seth Berkley said in a statement. “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.”

While the corner had definitely been turned on the latest Ebola outbreak — as of January 14 WHO reported that there were no new cases in the three countries hardest hit — another case struck in Sierra Leone since the announcement. “The most recent Ebola-related death in Sierra Leone and the fact that we know the reservoirs of Ebola still exist, underline why we must learn lessons from the devastating impact of the crisis and ensure we are better prepared for infectious disease outbreaks. The world is still worryingly underprepared for potential future health threats, and a change of mindset is required to ensure we invest in research and development today to protect ourselves in years to come,” Berkley noted.

Reuters reported that over 100 people have been quarantined as a result of the latest fatality from Ebola, a 22-year-old student named Mariatu Jalloh. "An active case investigation continues in the four districts where the young woman was known to have traveled," according to a joint statement by that country's Ministry of Health and the Office of National Security.

Merck's vaccine was found promising in hastily prepared animal trials as reported in Science — which then led to large-scale human trials — during the outbreak that spread through Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. "Complete and partial protection was achieved with a single dose given as late as 7 and 3 days before challenge, respectively," Canadian and U.S. researchers noted. The challenge in the test was a lethal dose of a West African strain of Ebola virus.

Business Affairs Homepage