Africa’s ability to respond to future disease outbreaks will depend not only on access to vaccines, but also on its capacity to develop and manufacture them locally. A new partnership involving Egypt’s Minapharm Group and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) could mark an important step in building that capacity, with up to $16.5 million in funding set to advance a Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidate into clinical development.
The funding will support the vaccine through preclinical development and into a Phase 1 clinical trial in Africa, where its safety and ability to produce an immune response will be assessed. Beyond the immediate development of the vaccine, the programme could help strengthen Africa’s ability to respond to future public-health emergencies without relying entirely on vaccines manufactured outside the continent.
The vaccine was designed by ProBioGen, a Berlin-based specialist and wholly owned subsidiary of Minapharm, using its proprietary modified vaccinia Ankara vaccine platform, MVA-CR19.
“This programme demonstrates the strength of our capabilities across the full biologics continuum, from design and development through to manufacturing, in response to an urgent public-health threat,” said Wafik Bardissi, group chairman and CEO of Minapharm and chairman of ProBioGen. “With CEPI’s support, we are turning scientific ingenuity into health sovereignty.”
Expanding Africa’s Vaccine Manufacturing Capacity
The Minapharm candidate is currently the only Bundibugyo vaccine in CEPI’s portfolio designed to trigger both B-cell and T-cell responses, with the aim of providing comprehensive and long-lasting immunity.
It becomes the fifth Bundibugyo-specific vaccine candidate supported by CEPI as the Democratic Republic of Congo faces the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in its history, with cases spreading rapidly across the country within three months. CEPI’s goal is to advance at least two Bundibugyo vaccines to Emergency Use Authorisation and World Health Organization prequalification.
The manufacturing plan is also significant. ProBioGen will initially manufacture the drug substance under Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines in Germany before shipping it to Minapharm’s facility in Cairo, where it will be converted into the finished vaccine product.
At the same time, Minapharm plans to transfer drug substance manufacturing to its biotechnology facilities in Cairo. If completed, this would allow both the active component and finished vaccine to be produced locally on the African continent.
“A vaccine candidate advanced by an African company is exactly the kind of capability our continent needs, not just for this outbreak, but so that Africa can develop and manufacture the tools it needs to protect its own people,” said Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC.
If the Phase 1 trial is successful, CEPI plans to work with Minapharm and ProBioGen on later-stage trials to generate the efficacy data required for emergency use authorisation and licensing. The organisations have also committed to enabling rapid and affordable supply to countries affected by outbreaks.
Strengthening Minapharm’s Biopharmaceutical Business
The programme builds on Minapharm’s more than 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Based in Cairo, the company develops and manufactures a range of products, including small molecules and monoclonal antibodies. It operates seven facilities and has more than 100 products.
Its biotechnology operations cover the full process from cell line development to finished products, providing an established manufacturing base for the vaccine programme.
CEPI’s Bundibugyo vaccine development programme is funded through several sources, including the European Commission through its 2026 Horizon Europe grant to CEPI, the U.S. Department of State and CEPI’s existing core funding.
The vaccine programme also comes as Minapharm continues to expand its wider pharmaceutical business. Earlier this year, the company announced the acquisition of the global rights for Praxilene from Merck. The medicine, naftidrofuryl oxalate, is mainly used to treat peripheral vascular disorders, including Peripheral Arterial Disease, by improving blood flow to the limbs.
The prevalence of Peripheral Arterial Disease has increased by 72% over the past 30 years, highlighting the continued demand for medicines that address growing health needs.
For Minapharm, the Bundibugyo vaccine programme represents an opportunity to apply its existing biopharmaceutical capabilities to an urgent public-health need. For Africa, its longer-term importance could be even broader, by helping build the scientific, manufacturing and supply capacity needed to produce critical vaccines closer to the people who need them.
