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Minapharm Group, the Egyptian biopharmaceutical company, will receive up to $16.5 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to advance the development of a Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidate.
The funding will take the vaccine through preclinical development and into a Phase 1 clinical trial in Africa to assess safety and immunogenicity.
ProBioGen, a Berlin-based specialist and wholly owned subsidiary of Minapharm, designed the vaccine 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. With CEPI’s support, we are turning scientific ingenuity into health sovereignty,” said Wafik Bardissi, group chairman and CEO of Minapharm and chairman of ProBioGen.
Minapharm is a pharmaceutical company based in Cairo, Egypt, known for its biopharmaceutical operations in Africa.
With over 25 years of experience, it develops and manufactures various products, including small molecules and monoclonal antibodies. The company operates seven facilities and produces more than 100 products.
Minapharm’s biotechnology operations manage the entire process from cell line development to finished products.
Minapharm’s candidate is the only Bundibugyo vaccine in CEPI’s portfolio designed to trigger both B-cell and T-cell responses for comprehensive, long-lasting immunity.
The vaccine becomes the fifth Bundibugyo-specific candidate backed 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 in just three months.
CEPI’s goal is to bring at least two Bundibugyo vaccines to Emergency Use Authorisation and WHO Prequalification.
ProBioGen will manufacture the drug substance under GMP guidelines in Germany before shipping it to Minapharm’s facility in Cairo, where it will be turned into the finished vaccine product.
In parallel, Minapharm plans to transfer drug substance manufacturing to its Cairo biotechnology facilities, enabling fully local production of both the active component and the finished product on the 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 succeeds, CEPI plans to work with Minapharm and ProBioGen on late-stage trials to generate efficacy data for emergency use authorisation and licensure, with a commitment to enabling rapid, affordable supply to affected countries.
To date, CEPI’s Bundibugyo virus vaccine development program receives funds from the European Commission through its 2026 grant under Horizon Europe to CEPI, the U.S. Department of State and CEPI’s existing core funding.
Earlier this year, Minapharm announced the acquisition of the global rights for Praxilene from Merck, a science and technology company.
Praxilene (naftidrofuryl oxalate) is a well-known medication that blocks a specific receptor in the body. It’s primarily used to treat peripheral vascular disorders, particularly Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), which affects blood flow to the limbs.
As a medication that helps widen blood vessels, it improves circulation. The prevalence of PAD has significantly increased, rising by 72% over the last 30 years.
