Adar Poonawalla, CEO of SII, said, “To combat the widespread outbreak of the Sudan ebolavirus in Uganda, it is important to prioritise immunisation." (Express Photo/ File) More than 40,000 doses of Oxford’s Ebola vaccine were manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) in just 60 days and shipped to Uganda. The bivalent vaccine has been designed to target both the major strains of the Ebola virus.
Just 80 days after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a Sudan ebolavirus outbreak, the vaccine doses were shipped to Uganda by SII which worked in close partnership with the WHO.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of SII, shared in a statement issued Thursday, “To combat the widespread outbreak of the Sudan ebolavirus in Uganda, it is important to prioritise immunisation. The 40,000 vaccine doses manufactured in a record time is a remarkable milestone in our long-standing association with Oxford University. I would also like to thank the Government of India for their constant support in enabling us to help people worldwide through effective and accessible health interventions.”
An official statement said that following the presentation of key data to the WHO generated in Oxford by Prof Teresa Lambe’s team, it was announced on November 17 that the vaccine had been recommended for inclusion in a ring vaccination trial to combat a Sudan ebolavirus outbreak in Uganda. The WHO, working in partnership with the Ugandan government and the Ministry of Health, has enabled the ring vaccination trial as a part of a multi-faceted effort to curb the outbreak and save lives.
The Oxford team led by Prof Lambe have been working on the vaccine for some time, including ongoing clinical trials in Oxford and Tanzania. The manufacturing scale-up was led by the SII and supported by Prof Sandy Douglas, of the Jenner Institute. This research was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Lambe, Professor of Vaccinology and Immunology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said in the statement, “This is a phenomenal feat by all involved, especially our partners Serum Institute. This exceptional partnership has demonstrated yet again the importance of academics working with large scale manufacturers to rapidly pivot and respond to outbreaks, and the importance of working with and having the full support of WHO. Importantly, the speed at which we responded, gives real hope to achieve the 100-day mission and tackle deadly diseases of global impact.”
A number of organisations, including government bodies, have embarked upon an ambitious plan to dramatically reduce or even eliminate the future risk of pandemics and epidemics. A part of the plan is to compress the time taken to develop safe, effective, globally accessible vaccines against new threats to just 100 days. Achieving this ‘100 Days Mission’ would give the world a fighting chance of containing a future outbreak before it spreads to become a global pandemic.