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HHS provides Merck with $23M for Ebola vaccine as Congo outbreak persists

Merck & Co. Inc. will receive $23 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop and manufacture its investigational Ebola vaccine V920, amid the ongoing disease outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo.

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"The best way to protect people at home from Ebola is to stop the virus from spreading abroad, and effective vaccine is an essential tool in that effort," said Rick Bright, director of HHS's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA.

According to an Aug. 21 press release from HHS, BARDA will also work with Kenilworth, N.J.-based Merck in the vaccine candidate's regulatory approval process.

The vaccine, also known as rVSV-ZEBOV, is being provided to people at risk of contracting Ebola in Congo. More than 192,000 people have been vaccinated as of Aug. 16, HHS said. The vaccine appears to be effective against Ebola, the agency said.

BARDA has provided a total of approximately $176 million to Merck for the vaccine's development, and is funding transportation of bulk vaccine materials to manufacturing facilities.

HHS said BARDA is additionally working with drug developers engineering therapeutic options for Ebola.

The Ebola outbreak in Congo, which began over a year ago, is the second largest on record, and has been declared a public health emergency of international concern as well as a national security concern for the U.S.

"By ensuring that investigational vaccines continue to be available, we aid the global response and, simultaneously, help improve domestic preparedness," Bright said.