Minapharm
Egyptian drugmaker and owner of the Berlin biotechnology firm ProBioGen.
Minapharm won up to $16.5m from CEPI on 27 August 2026 to take a Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine into a first safety trial in Africa, the first of CEPI's five candidates against that species with an African manufacturer.
Last refreshed: 4 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Minapharm
Won CEPI funding to take its candidate to Phase 1
Pandemics and Biosecurity: CEPI awards Minapharm US$16.5m for EbolaBackground
Minapharm is building an African-made vaccine against Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the species behind DR Congo's 2026 outbreak. On 27 August 2026 CEPI awarded up to $16.5m to Minapharm and its Berlin subsidiary ProBioGen to take an MVA-vectored candidate into a Phase 1 trial in Africa. CEPI called it its fifth Bundibugyo-specific candidate and the only one built to raise both antibody and T-cell responses.
The plan splits production at first. ProBioGen will make the drug substance, the active ingredient, in Berlin, while Minapharm fills and finishes doses in Cairo. A planned technology transfer would then move full manufacture to Cairo. Africa CDC's Jean Kaseya called an African company's candidate "exactly the kind of capability our continent needs".
Minapharm starts behind its rivals. Moderna's candidate gave its first human dose in Canada on 3 August, and no Bundibugyo candidate has efficacy data. A Phase 1 study tests only safety, so the award builds African manufacturing for the next Bundibugyo outbreak more than it changes the course of this one.
Minapharm won CEPI's African vaccine award
CEPI awarded Minapharm up to $16.5m on 27 August 2026 to carry its Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine into a Phase 1 safety trial in Africa. Among CEPI's five Bundibugyo bets, Minapharm's is the only one with an African manufacturer.
Minapharm joined the race 24 days after Moderna's candidate gave its first human dose in Canada on 3 August 2026. The Cairo company's trial will therefore ADD safety data and African production capacity, not the first answer on whether a Bundibugyo vaccine protects.