Sabin Dispatches Additional Vaccines to Rwanda for Marburg Outbreak

Washington, D.C. - The Sabin Vaccine Institute has delivered approximately 1,000 more investigational vaccine doses to Rwanda to bolster the ongoing response to the Marburg virus outbreak. This follows Sabin's initial shipment of 700 Marburg vaccine doses on October 5, just nine days after the outbreak was declared.

On October 6, Rwandan health authorities began vaccinating frontline health workers as part of a Phase 2 rapid response open-label trial, sponsored by the Rwanda Biomedical Centre. Sabin's single-dose Marburg vaccine will be administered in accordance with the clinical protocol that has been reviewed and approved by Rwandan ethics and regulatory authorities.

The swift initiation of the open-label trial was set in motion on September 26, when the Rwandan President's office contacted Sabin CEO Amy Finan to request assistance with the outbreak response. Rwanda officially declared the outbreak the next day.

"In an outbreak, every moment counts, and our seamless collaboration with the Rwandan government was key to accelerating the process. On our side, we moved quickly by leveraging our experience with other outbreaks and having vaccine doses and supporting documents ready, thanks to a strong partnership with ReiThera," says Finan. "Sabin's team is small - just 15 staff members - but their dedication, along with that of our Rwandan colleagues, BARDA and other partners, enabled us to mobilize so rapidly. This remarkable effort highlights the power of partnerships and preparedness in addressing urgent public health needs."

Sabin has extensive expertise in advancing vaccines for filoviruses, with two programs currently in Phase 2 clinical trials-one for Marburg and the other for Sudan ebolavirus. Sabin is also a long-standing member of MARVAC, a WHO-coordinated consortium promoting international collaboration for the development of vaccines against Marburg virus disease.

Sabin's development program, which includes clinical trials and manufacturing of clinical trial material that have been leveraged in this donation, is supported by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under multi-year contracts. BARDA has to date obligated $235 million to Sabin for advancing vaccine research and development against Sudan ebolavirus and Marburg virus diseases.

About the Sabin Vaccine Institute

The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non-profit with three decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit www.sabin.org and follow us on X, @SabinVaccine.

Media Contact:
Monika Guttman
Media Relations Specialist
Sabin Vaccine Institute
+1 (202) 662-1841
[email protected]