European Commission approves expanded indication for Merck’s ERVEBO

Merck announced the European Commission has approved an expanded indication for ERVEBO for active immunization of individuals 1 year of age or older to protect against Ebola Virus Disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus. The EC’s decision follows the positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use received on July 20, 2023. The vaccine was previously approved for use in the European Union for individuals 18 years of age or older. The use of ERVEBO should be in accordance with official recommendations. In January 2021, Merck confirmed an agreement with UNICEF to establish the world’s first global Ebola vaccine stockpile with ERVEBO to support future Zaire ebolavirus outbreak preparedness and response efforts. To date, over 500,000 doses of the licensed vaccine have been delivered to the stockpile, which is administered by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision.