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Oxford, India’s Serum Institute sign Nipah vaccine deal
Nipah virus is a zoonotic pathogen associated with severe disease and high mortality.
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Pranavi Sharma - Tue, 17, Mar 2026
- 03:22 EDT
- 13
Representative image / Oxford
The University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. have signed an intellectual property licensing agreement to advance the development and manufacture of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine candidate targeting the Nipah virus.
Under the agreement, Serum Institute of India, part of the Cyrus Poonawalla Group and the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, received a non-exclusive worldwide license in the field of Nipah virus vaccines. The license allows the company to support the development, manufacture and potential future supply of the vaccine candidate created at Oxford.
ALSO READ: One dead from Nipah virus in India's Kerala
Nipah virus is a zoonotic pathogen associated with severe disease and high mortality. Outbreaks have been reported mainly in South and Southeast Asia since the virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1999. There are currently no approved vaccines available to prevent Nipah virus infection.
The ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine candidate is funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and uses the ChAdOx1 viral vector platform developed at Oxford. Preclinical studies showed promising results, including strong immune responses in animal models and protection against infection in two in-vivo models.
A clinical-grade vaccine has been produced and a Phase 2a clinical trial has begun to evaluate the candidate’s safety and immunogenicity in humans. Subject to the results of these studies, the program could progress to further clinical evaluation, including Phase 2b trials in regions where Nipah outbreaks occur.
Because outbreaks are typically sporadic and relatively small, large-scale efficacy trials may be difficult to conduct. Regulatory pathways may therefore rely on a combination of clinical safety and immunogenicity data, preclinical evidence and information collected during outbreak responses.
Professor Brian Angus of the Nuffield Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford said, “With mortality rates of up to 70%, and recurring outbreaks across South and Southeast Asia, Nipah virus poses a serious and ongoing threat to vulnerable communities.”
“Our focus at Oxford is to turn scientific discovery into vaccines that could help prevent future outbreaks and save lives,” he said. “This collaboration with the Serum Institute of India represents an important step towards achieving that goal.”
Dr. Umesh Shaligram, executive director at Serum Institute of India, said the company is pleased to collaborate with Oxford to advance the vaccine candidate and support continued clinical development.
Oxford University Innovation supported the licensing arrangement between the two institutions.
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