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Preventing Ebola Outbreaks
Johnson & Johnson’s Response to the Deadly Ebola Virus
Ebola is a deadly disease that threatens African countries and can cross international borders if it isn’t contained. The 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola Outbreak, responsible for infecting more than 28,000 people and claiming more than 11,000 lives, was a global crisis that spurred the world into action. In response, scientists at Janssen quickly accelerated work on a vaccine, forged new partnerships and mobilized to conduct multiple studies across three continents.
In July 2020, the European Commission (EC) approved Johnson & Johnson’s Ebola vaccine regimen for the prevention of Ebola Virus Disease, completing the journey from the first clinical studies to approval by a stringent regulatory authority in just six years and marking the first major regulatory approval of a vaccine developed by Janssen. In April 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) granted Prequalification status to the regimen, an important stepping stone to registration in African countries at risk of outbreaks and broader access to those most in need.
From August 2018 to June 2020, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) faced the world’s second-largest Ebola outbreak on record. The DRC and its partners deployed Johnson & Johnson's Ebola vaccine regimen alongside other tools as part of an expansive public health effort that helped end the outbreak. To date, more than 225,000 people worldwide have received the first dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Ebola vaccine regimen. In February 2021, new Ebola outbreaks were declared in the DRC and across the continent in Guinea, emphasizing more than ever the need for preventive vaccines.
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Our vision is to protect people and communities at risk of Ebola by preventing outbreaks of this devastating disease before they can begin.
We believe that through the proactive use of our Ebola vaccine, the global health community can help protect vulnerable communities living under the threat of this disease.
The increasing frequency of outbreaks in Africa underscores that the threat of Ebola is not going away, which is why we collaborated to develop a vaccine regimen capable of inducing long-term immunity against Ebola and are working to ensure that it is accessible to people in need.
About Johnson & Johnson’s Ebola Vaccine Regimen
The preventive Ebola vaccine regimen developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson:
• Consists of a two-dose regimen leveraging different vaccines Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo
• Is well tolerated and induces robust and durable immune responses to the Zaire ebolavirus species—the cause of both of the deadly outbreaks in the last six years.
Uniting Innovation to Deliver Large-Scale Campaigns
The Rwanda Ministry of Health’s UMURINIZI campaign is the first large-scale use of the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Monitoring Platform, a digital tool that integrates innovative technologies to implement vaccination campaigns effectively and efficiently.
• Biometric iris scanning identification tracks each patient’s unique identification
• Management reporting dashboard tracks progress in near-real time
• Mobile phone messaging drives adherence and strong follow up with participant
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 45 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 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which started in 2018 and was declared over in June 2020, caused more than 3,300 cases and over 2,200 deaths.
2002
· Janssen begins vaccine research, with support from the National Institutes of Health, against filoviruses, which include Ebolavirus
2014
· WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for Ebola outbreak in West Africa
2014
· J&J commits to accelerate development and expand production of Ebola vaccine regiment; first-in-human study began in UK
2015
· Announcement of IMI-supported consortia, including financial support from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)
· ‘EBOVAC-Salone’ study begins in Sierra Leone
2016
· First clinical data for Ebola vaccine regimen published in JAMA
· Johnson & Johnson 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 regimen
2018
· Second-largest Ebola outbreak begins in North Kivu, DRC
2019
· WHO declares the DRC epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
· WHO’s SAGE committee recommends evaluation of Johnson & Johnson vaccine regimen in DRC
2019
· Johnson & Johnson files for EU approval of vaccine regimen
· Conditional approval under exceptional emergency granted by the Rwanda Food and Drug Administration
2020
· European Commission announces approval of Johnson & Johnson’s Ebola vaccine regimen
· Second-largest Ebola outbreak in North Kivu, DRC declared over
2021
· New outbreaks begin in Guinea and DRC
· More than 225,000 people have started regimen to date
2021
· J&J announces it will provide up to 200,000 Ebola vaccine regimens to support a WHO early access clinical program launched in response to the West Africa outbreak
2021
· Johnson & Johnson Ebola vaccine regimen receives Prequalification from the World Health Organization
2021
· The WHO’s SAGE Committee recommends use of the J&J Ebola vaccine regimen both during outbreaks for individuals at some risk of Ebola exposure, and preventively for national and international first responders.
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Working in Partnership
Johnson & Johnson made a significant investment in the Janssen Ebola vaccine development program. We also forged strategic partnerships with a wide range of the world’s leading scientific and medical research organizations to accelerate our progress.
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