Dive Brief:
- Johnson & Johnson will receive $115 million in funding from the European Innovative Medicines initiative in order to expedite development of its experimental Ebola vaccine, Reuters reports.
- J&J has launched clinical trials for its vaccine, which requires two injections, and has already committed $200 million of its own money to the drug development. GlaxoSmithKline has been working on its own Ebola vaccine, as have NewLink Genetics and Merck.
- As Reuters explains, the Innovative Medicines Initiative is a public-private partnership between the EU and the pharmaceutical industry.
Dive Insight:
Ebola frenzy may have faded from the U.S. headlines. But the reality is that the known death toll from the epidemic has crossed 8,500 people in West Africa, according to the WHO, underscoring the dire need for an effective vaccine to prevent even more new cases from popping up.
J&J's experimental med incorporates a booster shot from Denmark's Bavarian Nordic.