Marburg Vaccines

Marburg Vaccines 2024

Marburg virus disease (MVD), a member of the Filoviridae family of viruses, is a severe disease that has infected humans since 1967. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported no Marburg Virus (MARV) disease vaccines are available in 2024. However, several MARV vaccine candidates are conducting early-stage clinical studies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) published the Marburg virus vaccine development landscape on February 13, 2023. On March 30, 2022, the WHO R&D Blueprint team defined the Strategic Agenda for Filovirus Research and Monitoring (AFIRM) to establish research priorities for developing vaccines targeting filovirus diseases during the next decade. On April 4, 2023, the WHO Technical Advisory Group summarized the evaluations and recommendations on the four Marburg vaccine candidates.

On November 25, 2020, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary issued a Declaration (85 FR 79198) under section 319F-3 of the PREP Act that offers limited immunity for activities related to countermeasures (vaccines) against MARV and/or Marburg disease outbreaks. A covered person shall be immune from suit and liability under federal and state law concerning all claims for loss caused by, arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the administration to or use by an individual of a covered countermeasure if a Declaration has been issued concerning such countermeasure."

Marburg Vaccine Candidates

Soligenix, Inc. MarVax™ is a subunit protein vaccine of recombinantly expressed MARV glycoprotein. On April 15, 2024, the FDA granted orphan drug designation to the active ingredient in MarVax™, the subunit protein vaccine of recombinantly expressed MARV glycoprotein, for "the prevention and post-exposure prophylaxis against MARV infection."

The Sabin Vaccine Institute, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the U.S. Military HIV Research Program single-dose vaccine candidate ChAd3-MARV targets against the Marburg virus. Texas Biomedical Research Institute scientists led the development of the well-characterized nonhuman primate model for Marburg, conducting the foundational studies needed to accurately evaluate vaccines and therapies against the virus in macaques. The Lancet published research on January 28, 2023, confirming that the cAd3-Marburg vaccine candidate used a modified chimpanzee adenovirus and showed the agent is safe and immunogenic, with a safety profile similar to previously tested cAd3-vectored filovirus vaccines. Sabin's single-dose investigational Marburg vaccine was found to be promising in Phase 1 clinical. On October 19, 2023, the Sabin Vaccine Institute launched a Phase 2 clinical trial for its single-dose vaccine at Makerere University Walter Reed Project in Kampala, Uganda.

J&J Innovative Medicine and the NIAID launched a phase 1 study on August 9, 2016, evaluating AD26 FILO + MVA-BN-FILO's safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of Heterologous Prime-boost Regimens Using the Multivalent Filovirus Vaccines Ad26.Filo and MVA-BN-Filo Administered in Different Sequences and Schedules in Healthy Adults.

IAVI's single-dose rVSVΔG-MARV-GP vaccine candidate against Marburg virus. Recently published preclinical data demonstrates that a single dose of the vaccine candidate is 100% efficacious at preventing MVD in nonhuman primates.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - Ebola viruses, MARV GPs, and Tai Forest NP have been included in the modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vector vaccine (Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo) in Phase 2, open-label, clinical trial that launched on March 17, 2022. This study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of the 2-dose vaccination regimen in adults and children initially enrolled in the control arm of the EBOVAC-Salone study.

GeoVax Inc. vaccine candidate GEO-MM01 against the Marburg virus conferred 80% survival in cynomolgus macaques following a lethal dose of the Marburg virus on April 5, 2023. Vaccination protected nonhuman primates from viremia, weight loss, and death following challenges with a lethal Marburg virus dose. Evaluation of immune responses following vaccination demonstrated the presence of both neutralizing antibodies and functional T cells, indicating a breadth of responses that combine for optimal protection.

In January 2023, theUniversity of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston was awarded nearly $25 million from the U.S. government to develop vaccines to protect against infection, including Marburg.

On October 27, 2021, Orgininal Research demonstrated that the VSV-MARV is a fast-acting vaccine suitable for use in emergencies like disease outbreaks in Africa. Furthermore, data published on February 10, 2023, highlights VSV-MARV as a viable and fast-acting MARV vaccine candidate, supports the administration of a single low-dose vaccine in an emergency outbreak, and decreases the chances of vaccine-induced adverse events.

On January 2, 2023, Soligenix, Inc. announced the journal Vaccine published a study describing the preclinical efficacy of a novel, single-vial, bivalent vaccine providing 100% protection against Sudan ebolavirus and Marburg marburgvirus infections.