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Ebola
Johnson & Johnson’s Perspective on the DRC Crisis
- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is currently facing the world’s second-largest Ebola outbreak on record.
- Johnson & Johnson remains committed to supporting communities in the fight against Ebola through the development of an investigational vaccine regimen in development at our Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies. In May 2019, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization recommended that Janssen’s vaccine be evaluated in clinical studies focused on certain populations in the country who are at some risk of Ebola infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed support that these guidelines be implemented to help address the DRC crisis.
- Johnson & Johnson will continue to maintain a transparent line of communication with key stakeholders and stands ready to closely coordinate with governments and partners on how and where Janssen’s vaccine regimen can be deployed alongside other interventions.
We have a responsibility as a leading global healthcare company to do all we can to address this urgent unmet medical need.
Developing effective Ebola vaccines will be critical if we are to combat outbreaks of this disease and protect frontline healthcare workers as well as the families and friends of Ebola victims.
We recognize the urgency of the situation and the need to collaborate with multiple partners to develop preventive solutions for Ebola.
While recognizing this is an investigational vaccine still in development, we have taken pandemic preparedness steps with the goal of ensuring that the world is better equipped for Ebola outbreaks.
About Janssen’s Ebola Vaccine Regimen
The investigational preventive Ebola vaccine regimen in development at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson contains vaccines based on:
- Janssen’s AdVac® technology (Ad26.ZEBOV) Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN® technology (MVA-BN-Filo)
- Available clinical data indicate that the two-dose regimen induces a robust and durable immune response, and is well tolerated.
- Johnson & Johnson has built a stockpile of up to 1.5 million investigational Ebola vaccine regimens for potential use in public health emergencies.
Ebola: A Timeline
The Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Over the past 40 years, there have been multiple Ebola outbreaks. The worst to date was the West African Ebola epidemic, which caused nearly 30,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths in 2014-2016. The world’s second-largest outbreak is currently underway in the DRC.
2002
Janssen begins Ebola vaccine research program with NIH support
2014
· First confirmed Ebola case of West African outbreak recorded
· WHO declares Ebola outbreak an international health emergency
· J&J commits to accelerate development and expand production of an Ebola vaccine
2015
· Announcement of IMI-supported consortia; start of Phase 1 clinical trials in the UK and US
· "EBOVAC-Salone" study begins in Sierra Leone. Additional Phase 3 studies start in US
2016
· First clinical data for Ebola vaccine regimen published in JAMA
· Janssen completes submission to WHO for Emergency Use Assessment and Listing (EUAL)
2017
· First long-term clinical data for Ebola vaccine regimen published in JAMA
· New partnership with BARDA to support U.S. licensure of vaccine
2018
Second-largest Ebola outbreak begins in DRC
2019
· WHO supports SAGE recommendation to evaluate Janssen vaccine in DRC
· Global health organizations in collaboration with DRC stakeholders explore potential clinical study of Janssen vaccine
2002
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Working in Partnership
Johnson & Johnson has made a significant investment in the Janssen Ebola vaccine development program. We have also forged strategic partnerships with a wide range of the world’s leading scientific and medical research organizations to accelerate our progress.
Commitment to Pandemic Preparedness
Johnson & Johnson is one of the few innovative healthcare companies that is actively engaged on pandemic preparedness and response.
Through our Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, we are developing new vaccines and/or treatments to combat infectious diseases that:
- Are already pandemics, such as HIV, hepatitis B and tuberculosis (TB)
- Or have pandemic potential, including Ebola, Zika and influenza
A look back at Johnson & Johnson’s response to the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa
