Vaccine Regimen from J&J and Bavarian Nordic Supports WHO to Prevent Ebola Spread
Bavarian Nordic announced the contribution of its partner, Johnson & Johnson, with a donation of up to 200,000 doses of the J&J Ebola vaccine regimen to support the World Health Organization’s (WHO) commitment to preventing the spread of Ebola in West Africa.
Johnson & Johnson donates up to 200,000 doses of Ebola vaccine
Mvabea® which was developed and manufactured by Bavarian Nordic is included in the Johnson & Johnson Ebola vaccine. The vaccination regimens are being made accessible under an early distribution clinical program coordinated by the WHO and national governments, with the first doses given out in Sierra Leone last week. Additionally, the WHO has granted Prequalification to the Johnson & Johnson Ebola vaccine which, along with the European Commission’s authorization in July 2020, will speed up its registration in countries where Ebola is a persistent public health threat and enable greater access to individuals from the risk cohorts. The regimen is intended to be used to prevent the spread of Ebola virus illness in both adults and children triggering immunity against the Ebola virus.
Bavarian Nordic’s President and CEO, Paul Chaplin, stated:
“We are proud to be part of the strong commitment from Johnson & Johnson in the fight against Ebola, and we continue to support these efforts through manufacturing of vaccines to meet the increasing demand. Vaccines remain the single-most-important tool to protect the West African population and prevent future Ebola outbreaks, and Prequalification from WHO is an important step towards securing broader access for countries at risk.”
In a press statement released last week Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer of Johnson & Johnson stated:
“Johnson & Johnson’s vision is to help prevent Ebola outbreaks before they start. WHO Prequalification of our vaccine regimen and the deployment to West Africa are important steps forward in reaching this goal and an important milestone for epidemic preparedness. By working closely with the WHO and national governments, we will be able to quickly support efforts to protect populations at risk and help end this latest outbreak. This proactive approach is essential if we are to solve the growing threat of infectious diseases, including Ebola.”
About the Johnson & Johnson Ebola vaccine regimen
The Johnson & Johnson’s preventative Ebola vaccine regimen has been granted with approval by the European Commission along with its compounds Zabdeno® (Ad26.ZEBOV) and Mvabea® (MVA-BN-Filo), -based on a non-replicating viral vector platform in which viruses – in this instance adenovirus serotype 26 (Ad26) and Manipulated Vaccinia Virus Ankara (MVA) – are genetically modified so that they cannot reproduce in human cells. Furthermore, in order to elicit an immune response, these vectors carry the genetic codes of various Ebola virus proteins. Mvabea® (MVA-BN-Filo), which was originally designed by Bavarian Nordic was licensed by its partner Janssen in 2014. Bavarian Nordic has ongoing contracts with the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson to manufacture the vaccine.
The vaccine regimen was engineered in a joint research effort with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Furthermore, The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the NIH, provided direct financial support and preclinical services. Moreover, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, known as BARDA, has granted additional financing in part with Federal funds.
About Johnson & Johnson
At Johnson & Johnson, good health is the foundation of vibrant lives, thriving communities and forward progress. That’s why for more than 130 years, J&J has aimed to keep people well at every age and every stage of life. Today, as the world’s largest and most broadly-based healthcare company, J&J is committed to using its reach and size for good. J&J strives to improve access and affordability, create healthier communities, and put a healthy mind, body and environment within reach of everyone, everywhere. Learn more at www.jnj.com.
About Bavarian Nordic
Bavarian Nordic is a fully integrated vaccines company dedicated to creating and marketing life-saving vaccines. The company is a world leader in smallpox vaccines and a provider to the U.S. government of a non-replicating smallpox vaccine, licenced by the FDA under the trade name JYNNEOS®, also for the protection against monkeypox. The vaccine is authorized as a smallpox vaccine in Europe under the brand name IMVANEX® and in Canada under the brand name IMVAMUNE®. In addition, the companies commercial product range includes the market-leading rabies vaccine Rabipur®/RabAvert® and the tick-borne encephalitis vaccine Encepur®. Bavarian Nordic has developed a diversified portfolio of proprietary and partnered candidates using its live virus vaccine platform technology, MVA-BN®, to save and enhance lives by harnessing the potential of the immune system, including an Ebola vaccine, MVABEA®, which is licensed to the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. The company is also working on a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine, which will be based on proprietary capsid virus-like particle technology. Clinical studies for the vaccine candidate ABNCoV2 are presently underway. Visit www.bavarian-nordic.com for additional details.
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