CEPI invests in Ebola vaccines as Kenya quarantine blocked

A global effort to develop vaccines against a deadly Ebola outbreak is accelerating, even as a controversial plan to establish a quarantine facility in Kenya has sparked fatal protests and a court-ordered halt. The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, continues to spread in Central Africa, prompting international health agencies to declare a public health emergency.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced funding on Monday to fast-track three leading vaccine candidates. The organization has committed up to $50 million to support preclinical and early clinical development of an investigational mRNA-based vaccine from Moderna. It will also invest up to $8.6 million for a vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and an initial $3.2 million for a candidate from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). The World Health Organization identified these three candidates as the most promising currently in development.

There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments specifically for the Bundibugyo strain. The current outbreak has caused at least 282 confirmed cases,...