NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, February 26, 2016

The non-profit organization Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, bought300,000 doses of the most promising Ebola vaccine from Merck in January. But the shot hasn’t been approved by any country yet.

Why would Gavi – whosemembers include the World Health Organization and the World Bank – stockpile something that can’t be administered to patients yet, and maybe ever?

Well, they’re betting the world will need the vaccine if the slow trickle of Ebola cases we’re seeing today turns back into a full-fledged outbreak. And part of the $5 million agreement is that Merck will submit the vaccine for approval by 2017. If and when it’s approved, Gavi would presumably purchase many more doses.