Public Health Vaccines wins BARDA-backed award for Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine work

Public Health Vaccines has secured a project agreement through BARDA’s Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle to speed development of an rVSV-based Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine. The $37.5 million initial award is aimed at supporting outbreak readiness as transmission continues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Why it matters: - Bundibugyo ebolavirus can cause severe viral hemorrhagic fever. - The ongoing outbreak is the largest recorded Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak to date. - Transmission is continuing across multiple regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the outbreak emerged in May 2026. - No Bundibugyo ebolavirus-specific vaccines are currently licensed. - The BARDA-backed program is intended to accelerate readiness of an investigational vaccine during an active outbreak.

What happened: - Public Health Vaccines received a project agreement through the Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle, or RRPV, to advance development of rVSV-based vaccine candidates against Bundibugyo ebolavirus. - The award carries initial funding of $37.5 million. - The project was awarded in response to RRPV solicitation RRPV-26-13-BundiVx. - RRPV is a consortium funded by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. - The award follows a June 2026 BARDA option that let Public Health Vaccines begin work on two rVSV-based BDBV vaccine candidates.

The details: - One candidate is being developed with partial support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. - That candidate comes from research by Dr. Andrea Marzi and Dr. Heinz Feldmann at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of HHS. - The other candidate is being developed in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada. - Public Health Vaccines is using the rVSV vector platform originally developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada. - The new funding will support chemistry, manufacturing and controls work. - The program will also support production of cGMP clinical trial material. - The funding covers IND-enabling nonclinical and regulatory activities. - Public Health Vaccines will prepare for and conduct Phase 1 clinical evaluation of one vaccine candidate under a U.S. investigational new drug application. - The program includes options for more clinical trial material production, outbreak-trial support, a Phase 1 trial in Africa, and manufacturing of a contingency candidate if needed. - Public Health Vaccines plans to use its experience with rVSV-vectored filovirus vaccines and its network of manufacturing, nonclinical, regulatory and clinical partners. - The project is funded in whole or in part with federal funds from HHS, ASPR and BARDA under Other Transaction Number 75A50123D00005.

Between the lines: - BARDA’s funding signals U.S. government urgency around a virus with no licensed specific vaccine and an active outbreak trajectory. - The inclusion of Africa-based trial support suggests the program is being structured for outbreak-relevant deployment, not just early-stage lab work. - The collaboration mix also shows how Public Health Vaccines is combining its own rVSV platform experience with outside research and public-sector partners.

What's next: - Public Health Vaccines will move forward with manufacturing and regulatory work to support a Phase 1 clinical evaluation. - The company may activate additional options if more material production, outbreak-trial support or Africa-based testing is needed. - The company also may pursue contingency manufacturing if outbreak conditions require a backup candidate.

The bottom line: - BARDA’s new award gives Public Health Vaccines fresh funding and program flexibility to push a Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine toward clinical readiness during an active outbreak.