Johnson & Johnson announced on Wednesday its plan to have 250,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine by May 2015 and hopes to increase its availability to 1 million for the year.
The three-sector healthcare company is working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the governments and other groups for the clinical trials, development, production and distribution of the vaccines to affected countries.
J&J has committed $200 million to accelerate the program, but it is still looking for additional partners and resources to increase the production, according to Reuters.
The company announced in September that it would expedite the development process of a vaccine against the Ebola virus as part of the WHO's roadmap that aims to stop the spread of the disease in six to nine months.
The experimental Ebola vaccine was produced by combining a Janssen vaccine with a Bavarian Nordic vaccine, which is designed to treat different types of viruses, including Ebola. The treatment showed effectiveness when used in animals, and researchers are planning to start human trials by January next year. If proven successful in healthy volunteers from the United States and Africa, the company can have 250,000 doses ready by May for further clinical trials.
The experimental vaccine works by stimulating the body's antibodies to remember the virus. When the Ebola virus enters the system of the victim, the body will automatically activate its defense mechanisms.
Denmark-based Bavarian Nordic said that the drug was initially developed as a treatment for advanced prostate cancer and smallpox. After combining it with Janssen's drug, researchers found that it can be used as a long-term protection against Ebola, Businessweek reported.
"Our goal to produce more than a million vaccines in the next few months is within reach," said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Johnson & Johnson and Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals. "Ebola is a significant and growing threat to the people of West Africa and it has the potential to impact people around the world. We are committed to bringing our science, technology, innovation and resources to help prevent and treat this deadly disease."
