The pharmaceutical group Minapharm will develop a candidate vaccine against the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, with funding of 16.5 million dollars.

The Egyptian pharmaceutical group Minapharm has announced that it will develop a candidate vaccine against the Ebola virus strain, which severely affects the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The funding of 16.5 million dollars, provided by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), will support the preclinical development of the vaccine and will allow the initiation of a phase 1 clinical study to assess its safety and efficacy.

The Ebola outbreak in the DRC, declared on May 15, has already caused over 2,700 deaths from more than 5,650 confirmed cases. The director of the African Union's health agency, Jean Kaseya, emphasized the importance of developing a vaccine by an African company to address the continent's needs.

Currently, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, and the WHO recommends the use of the Ervebo vaccine, approved for the Zaire strain, while awaiting additional data on its efficacy.