Pharmaceutical industry mobilizes to support response to the Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak and calls for a system that enables rapid response and sustained R&D investment

The global pharmaceutical industry underlines the commitment of the sector to support the response to the latest Ebolavirus outbreak, and calls for the latest outbreak to be a "wake up call" for negotiators discussing the details of the Pandemic Agreement.

On the occasion of a High-Level Virtual Meeting of African Heads of State and Government and Partners convened by Africa CDC on 16 June, the global pharmaceutical industry trade body - the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) - underscored industry's commitment to supporting the response to the Ebola disease outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus, while calling for a system that encourages rapid response, sustained R&D investment, and collaboration. On the same day, G7 leaders also called for a strong, coordinated response to Ebola outbreak, and recognized the important role of the private sector in responding to the outbreak, encouraging the accelerated development of tools for prevention, preparedness and response.

Across the research and innovation ecosystem, multinational pharmaceutical companies and biotechs are working alongside governments, Africa CDC, WHO, CEPI, Gavi, and academic institutions to bring forward available tools and advance new solutions to accelerate the response.

Companies are contributing expertise, technologies, manufacturing capacity, and scientific capabilities to help advance both immediate and longer-term solutions, pursuing multiple approaches:

Existing therapeutics could support the response but will need to be studied further

Companies such as Gilead Sciences and MSD are investigating the potential to repurpose therapeutics and small molecules antivirals.

Novel antiviral and monoclonal antibody candidates

Companies are also testing novel therapeutics: Gilead Sciences has a novel antiviral candidate, and Regeneron, Mapp Biopharmaceutical, and public-sector partners are progressing several novel monoclonal antibody candidates. These candidates are being evaluated and will be advanced into clinical studies in affected countries as quickly as possible through flexible partnerships and adaptive clinical trial approaches.

Vaccines

Vaccines can play a critical role in responding to outbreaks and early efforts are underway to assess whether existing Ebola vaccine platforms may offer cross-protection.

At the same time, new Bundibugyo-specific candidate vaccines are being rapidly developed across multiple platforms, including rVSV candidates from IAVI, ChAdOx1 candidates led by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, and mRNA-LNP candidates from Moderna. These are all in early stages, but clinical-grade material is entering production and clinical trials are expected to begin shortly, under a public-private collaborative approach.

Emergency funding

Companies such as Johnson & Johnson, MSD, and Roche have contributed funding to strengthen emergency and outbreak response efforts, provide personal protective equipment (PPE), support for frontline healthcare workers, or developed diagnostic tests to help with monitoring the outbreak spread. These contributions are helping strengthen outbreak monitoring, preparedness, and the broader response on the ground.

As negotiators prepare for the latest Pandemic Agreement discussions taking place in a few weeks' time, IFPMA warned that making it harder for companies to access the scientific data they need to develop new vaccines and treatments would undermine the abilities for companies to respond to similar outbreaks in the future.

IFPMA emphasized the importance of platform technologies, viral family approaches, risk-sharing partnerships, rapid pathogen and data sharing, early financing, regulatory agility and strong delivery systems to ensure timely access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.

David Reddy, Director General, IFPMA, said: "The current Ebola outbreak is a stark reminder that health security threats are not isolated events - they are persistent and escalating risks that demand sustained preparedness and stronger investment in R&D to expand the pipeline of vaccines and therapeutics for emerging infectious diseases. It should also serve as a wake-up call for the negotiations on the PABS Annex of the Pandemic Agreement: we need policies that support private-sector engagement, not approaches that risk discouraging participation or slow the very science we depend on. Getting this right means building a system that encourages rapid response, long-term R&D investment, and collaboration."

IFPMA, its member companies, and its broader life sciences partners remain committed to working with Africa CDC and other partners in the ongoing response, while also helping strengthen preparedness for future health threats.