Ebola Vaccine Approved by EU

The European Commission granted marketing authorisation to American pharmaceutical company Merck’s vaccine for the Ebola virus, known as Ervebo, on Monday.

The decision culminates two decades of research into a vaccine for the deadly virus and has been hailed as “the result of an unprecedented collaboration for which the entire world should be proud”, according to Merck chairman Ken Frazier.

“It is a historic milestone and a testament to the power of science, innovation and public-private partnership”.

Frazier confirmed that the company will continue to work alongside the Food and Drug Agency in the US, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and other regulatory bodies in African countries.

Ervebo will now go through vaccine prequalification to ensure it is safe for use, a process which WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “can be done in the next few days”.

Tedros said “This is great news that will change Ebola prevention in the future and protect the vulnerable”.

Ervebo was developed at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Canada with funding from the US government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

The vaccine had previously been used during the 2014 outbreak, where it was found to be highly effective in preventing the spread of the virus, but this news means it can now be made available to a much wider audience.

Merck have said that provided the relevant regulatory bodies grant it approval, Ervebo should be available during the third quarter of 2020.