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• ����VR��Ƶ, Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd. and the University of Oxford collaborate to manufacture ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccines for Phase II trials and investigational ready reserve of up to 100,000 doses
• Reserve doses could be deployed under emergency use during a future Nipah virus outbreak, helping generate critical data and potentially halt an epidemic in its tracks
• Advancing clinical testing and manufacturing of a Nipah vaccine will strengthen regional defences against the disease

28 October 2025; OSLO; PUNE; OXFORD: One of the world’s deadliest viral pathogens, Nipah virus, could soon have a new line of defence against it as ����VR��Ƶ, the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd. (SII), part of Cyrus Poonawalla Group, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, collaborate to create the world’s largest investigational ready reserve of a Nipah virus vaccine candidate.

����VR��Ƶ funding of up to US$7.3 million will support SII for process development and manufacturing of the University of Oxford’s ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine candidate. SII will manufacture doses for use in a Phase II clinical trial in a Nipah-affected country, and create an investigational reserve of up to 100,000 doses, which could be deployed under emergency use during a future Nipah virus outbreak, helping to generate critical data and potentially halt an epidemic in its tracks. SII will supply the Phase II doses—known as clinical trial material—to the University of Oxford, which is conducting the ����VR��Ƶ-funded clinical trials. These mid-stage trials are set to be the first Phase II trials for a Nipah virus vaccine candidate to take place anywhere in the world.

Nipah virus, belonging to the paramyxovirus family, kills up to 75 percent of people it infects. The majority of outbreaks have occurred in India and Bangladesh since it was first discovered in Malaysia in 1999, with Bangladesh experiencing outbreaks almost annually since 2001. Despite its lethality, there are currently no approved countermeasures to defend against it. ����VR��Ƶ is working to change that as the world’s largest funder of Nipah virus R&D, committing around US$150 million to its Nipah virus vaccine, biologics and enabling science programmes.

“By advancing clinical testing and manufacturing thousands of vaccine doses against one of the world’s deadliest viral pathogens, in a region where the virus persistently occurs, we’re creating a state of readiness against Nipah outbreaks,” said Dr Amadou Sall, ����VR��Ƶ’s Executive Director of Manufacturing and Supply Chain. “This means we can manufacture the vaccines needed to advance clinical testing, and the vaccine could also potentially be used in emergencies when there are future outbreaks, helping save lives and limit the devastation caused by Nipah virus.”

The ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine is based on the same viral vector platform technology as the licensed Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. SII produced over 2 billion doses of ChAdOx-COVID-19 vaccine and is well placed to leverage its past experience and manufacturing capabilities to establish an investigational reserve of ChAdOx1 NipahB virus vaccine doses to be stored and maintained at its facilities in Pune.

Dr. Umesh Shaligram, Executive Director, Serum Institute of India, said, “The collaboration with ����VR��Ƶ and the University of Oxford to develop and manufacture an investigational reserve of the ChAdOx-Nipah vaccine candidate marks a significant step forward in our pandemic preparedness efforts. Leveraging our proven manufacturing capabilities and past success with the ChAdOx platform, we are proud to help establish the world’s largest investigational reserve against Nipah virus—one of the deadliest pathogens known. Our aim is to ensure that life-saving doses reach those most in need, particularly across the Global South.”

Professor Brian Angus, Professor of Medical Practice at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, and Chief Investigator of the trial at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: “Developing a Nipah vaccine that can be tested and used in regions where Nipah outbreaks occur regularly is a vital step toward ensuring communities most at risk are protected. Built on the same ChAdOx platform that underpinned the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, this candidate has the potential to provide an urgently needed defence against a deadly virus, helping to prevent future epidemics and protecting global health equitably.”

As Nipah outbreaks are usually small and hard to predict, large-scale efficacy trials involving thousands of participants, typically required for traditional regulatory approval, are highly unlikely to be feasible. However, Phase II data, in combination with the possibility of safety and immunogenicity data captured during future outbreaks, alongside preclinical data, could help provide an alternative route to licensure in Nipah-affected countries.

This new project brings together two of ����VR��Ƶ’s existing collaborators to advance both vaccine development and manufacturing in support of the 100 Days Mission—����VR��Ƶ’s goal of delivering vaccines within 100 days of identifying a new outbreak pathogen. In 2024, SII joined ����VR��Ƶ’s vaccine manufacturing facility network, which aims to expand pandemic preparedness aligned to the 100 Days Mission and support equitable access to outbreak vaccines, particularly in Global South countries. This complements ����VR��Ƶ’s strategic partnership with the University of Oxford—an $80 million initiative to advance prototype vaccines against high-risk viral families through the work of Oxford’s world-leading vaccine scientists. Together, these collaborations are driving forward both the development and manufacture of a Nipah vaccine, reinforcing readiness to respond swiftly to one of the world’s deadliest viral pathogens.

Commitment to equitable access

����VR��Ƶ, SII and the University of Oxford are committed to enabling equitable access to the outputs of this ����VR��Ƶ-supported programme, in line with ����VR��Ƶ's Equitable Access Policy. This ultimately includes a commitment to vaccines being available first to populations at risk, particularly in the Global South, when and where they are needed at an affordable price. Wherever possible, project results, including data generated as part of this collaboration, will be published open access for the benefit of the global scientific community.

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Notes to editors

About ����VR��Ƶ

����VR��Ƶ is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil organisations. Its mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats so they can be accessible to all people in need. ����VR��Ƶ has supported the development of more than 70 vaccine candidates or platform technologies against multiple known high-risk pathogens or a future Disease X. Central to ����VR��Ƶ’s pandemic-beating plan is the ‘100 Days Mission’ to accelerate the time taken to develop safe, effective, globally accessible vaccines against new threats to just 100 days. Learn more at ����VR��Ƶ.net.

About Serum Institute of India

Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd, part of Cyrus Poonawalla Group is a global leader in vaccine manufacturing, dedicated to providing affordable vaccines worldwide. Present across 170+ countries, including the US, UK, and Europe, SII holds the distinction of being the world's largest vaccine manufacturer. SIIPL's multifunctional production and one-of-the-largest facilities in Hadapsar & Manjari, Pune, with an annual capacity of 4 billion doses, has saved over 30 million lives over the years.

Founded in 1966, SIIPL's primary mission is to produce lifesaving immunobiological drugs, with a particular emphasis on affordability and accessibility. Guided by a strong commitment to improving global health, the company has played a pivotal role in reducing the prices of essential vaccines, such as Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, HIB, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella. Notably, they are the manufacturers of 'Pneumosiil,' the world's most affordable PCV, 'Cervavac' the first indigenous qHPV vaccine in India, and R21/Matrix-M™, the second Malaria vaccine to be authorized for use in children in malaria-endemic regions, ‘MenFive’, the first in the world Pentavalent (ACYWX) Meningococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine, approved and WHO-prequalified for use in the pediatric population. Moreover, SIIPL has been at the forefront of the global fight against COVID-19, delivering over 2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine worldwide.

To further expand its global presence and ensure widespread vaccine availability, SII has established Serum Life Sciences Ltd, a subsidiary in the UK and Serum Inc., a subsidiary in the US. Through relentless pursuit of innovation, SII continues to champion the cause of affordable vaccines, making a positive impact on the lives of millions worldwide.
www.seruminstitute.com

About the University of Oxford

The University of Oxford has been ranked number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the ninth-year running, and number 3 in the QS World Rankings 2024. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer. Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research alongside our personalised approach to teaching sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.

About the Oxford Vaccine Group

The Oxford Vaccine Group is part of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Oxford. It led the rapid clinical development of vaccinations against COVID-19 in the pandemic and has made significant contributions to knowledge, supporting national and global policy on immunisation over three decades. OVG was founded in 1994 by Professor E. Richard Moxon.  It is one of the world’s leading academic vaccine research teams and has been led by Professor Sir Andrew Pollard since 2001. The OVG undertakes vaccine research spanning basic science and preclinical studies through to epidemiological studies, human challenge models and phase I-III clinical trials. Current research includes the study of vaccines for outbreak pathogens and pandemics, enteric pathogens, bacterial and viral respiratory infections, and use of human challenge models to accelerate vaccine development.