IAVI announces award from BARDA to transfer manufacturing of viral hemorrhagic fever vaccine candidates

NEW YORK, NY — October 30, 2026 — IAVI, a global nonprofit biomedical research organization, announced today new funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to enable technology transfer for the manufacturing of IAVI’s viral hemorrhagic fever vaccine candidates in the U.S. The $10 million project, awarded through the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Preparedness Consortium (BioMaP-Consortium), will apply to IAVI’s Marburg virus (MARV) vaccine candidate (rVSV∆G-MARV-GP) that is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial. Future activities may additionally involve IAVI’s Phase 1 Sudan virus (SUDV) vaccine candidate (rVSVΔG-SUDV-GP). Both clinical trials are currently being conducted in the U.S. under an existing BARDA contract.

Speed and preparedness are especially critical to combating these viruses, which can spread rapidly following spillover to humans and potentially lead to public health emergencies of international concern. MARV and SUDV cause recurring disease outbreaks of severe febrile illness, sometimes with hemorrhage, and often leading to death. Average case fatality rates were recently estimated to be 65% for disease outbreaks caused by MARV and 49% for disease outbreaks caused by SUDV [1,2]. The ongoing Ebola epidemic due to Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the latest example of the threat posed by viral hemorrhagic fevers for which medical countermeasures are urgently needed.

Under this agreement, and in coordination with BARDA, IAVI will transfer manufacturing of rVSV∆G-MARV-GP to the experienced contract development and manufacturing organizations Genezen and Biotechnique. This will include sharing existing process technology, production in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and evaluation of long-term implementation success and stability.

Since 2021, BARDA has collaborated with IAVI toward the development of these MARV and SUDV vaccine candidates, alongside assistance from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). Established by BARDA, the BioMaP-Consortium brings together organizations from across the drug and vaccine manufacturing ecosystem to serve as a shared resource for preparedness and response efforts.

About the vaccine candidates and the rVSV platform

IAVI’s viral hemorrhagic fever vaccine candidates use the same recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) as the vaccine for Ebola virus (formerly Zaire ebolavirus), which is licensed in many countries including by the U.S. FDA. This vaccine has been used extensively to vaccinate adults and children in Ebola outbreaks. Single-dose vaccines are especially valuable in outbreak situations because they allow rapid protection of at-risk populations without the logistical challenges of multidose follow-up.

rVSV is the platform technology underlying IAVI’s growing portfolio of emerging infectious disease (EID) vaccine candidates, including for MARV, SUDV, BDBV, and Lassa virus. Using a shared viral vector platform streamlines vaccine development by enabling application of existing knowledge, clinical data, and manufacturing processes across multiple candidates. This approach has the potential to significantly accelerate response timelines during outbreaks while reducing costs and operational complexity.

Much of the research and development on IAVI’s rVSV platform is performed at the IAVI Vaccine Design and Development Lab (DDL) in Jersey City, New Jersey. Since its founding in 2008, the IAVI DDL has become one of the world’s leading viral vector vaccine research and development labs, known for innovation and generation of novel vaccine design concepts.

IAVI holds a nonexclusive license to the rVSV vaccine candidates from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The vector was developed by scientists at PHAC’s National Microbiology Laboratory.

Funding

This project has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR); Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, under OT number #75A50123D00003.

Funders who have made the development of IAVI’s rVSV-vectored vaccine candidates possible include the Gates Foundation; the Government of Canada; the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Government of Japan; the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation; the U.K Department for International Development; the U.S. National Institutes of Health; and through the generous support of the American people from the former United States Agency for International Development.

Notes

[1] Epidemiological characteristics of Marburg virus disease: a systematic review

[2] The natural history of infection with Sudan virus compared to Ebola virus in non-human primates: a rapid review

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IAVI Media Contact

Karie Youngdahl
Head, Global Communications
kyoungdahl@iavi.org