The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Biological E. Limited (Bio E) have teamed up to advance the development and manufacture of the latter’s Covid-19 subunit vaccine candidate.
CEPI will initially contribute up to $5 million towards the cost of scaling up the vaccine manufacturing process, and will explore providing additional funding to Hyderabad-based Biological E’s goal of potentially enabling the production of 100 million doses in 2021.
Bio E initiated a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate in India in November 2020, and expects interim data from the trial to be available in the first quarter of 2021.
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As part of the collaboration, CEPI and Bio E have agreed that vaccine output funded by CEPI’s investment will be made available for procurement and allocation, if proven to be safe and effective, through the COVAX Facility.
The COVAX Facility aims to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for all countries, at all levels of development, that wish to participate.
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“Bio E’s vaccine candidate has the potential to be produced at scale, with characteristics that could make it suitable for broad distribution in developing countries. I’m pleased to partner with Bio E to progress the development of this promising vaccine,” Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said in a release on Tuesday.
Validation for tech platform
Mahima Datla, Managing Director, Biological E. Limited, said: “This collaboration with CEPI validates the technology platform BioE is working on for developing an effective Covid-19 vaccine candidate.”
The initial investment from CEPI comes on the heels of investments from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Government of India’s Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), and provides the impetus for accelerated efforts towards a successful and scalable outcome for global access.
“Over the past 10 months, the world has witnessed an unprecedented health emergency and is eagerly awaiting a Covid-19 vaccine. We are working tirelessly to produce a safe and effective vaccine against Covid-19 at an unprecedented pace,” she added.
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