The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for Ervebo to Merck & Co., Inc.Merck discontinued development of the related rVSV vaccines for Marburg virus (rVSV-MARV) and Sudan ebolavirus (rVSV-SUDV). Merck returned the rights on these vaccines back to Public Health Agency of Canada. The knowledge on developing rVSV vaccines which Merck gained with GAVI funding remains Mercks, and cannot be used by anyone else wishing to develop a rVSV vaccine. Ebola 2018
2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola virus outbreak
During an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018, the ZEBOV vaccine was used, and what was once contact tracing which numbered 1,706 individuals (ring vaccination which totaled 3,330) was reduced to zero on June 28, 2018. The outbreak completed the required 42-day cycle on July 24. 2018 Kivu Ebola outbreak
On August 1, an EVD outbreak was declared in North Kivu DRC. After six months the current totals stand at 735 total cases and 371 deaths; violence in the region has helped the spread of the virus.Preliminary results show ring vaccination with the vaccine has been highly effective at reducing Ebola transmission. References
Further reading
"Scientists hail 100% effective Ebola vaccine". National Health Service. England. August 3, 2015. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019. Marzi A, Robertson SJ, Haddock E,  et al. (August 14, 2015). "VSV-EBOV rapidly protects macaques against infection with the 2014/15 Ebola virus outbreak strain". Science. 349 (6249): 739–42. doi:10.1126/science.aab3920. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 26249231. External links

"Ebola Vaccine VSVDG-ZEBOV". Drug Information Portal.
In November 2014, Newlink exclusively licensed rights to the vaccine to Merck for US $50 million plus royalties.The Phase I study started with a high dose which caused arthritis and skin reactions in some people, and the vaccine was found replicating in the synovial fluid of the joints of the affected people; the clinical trial was halted because of that, then recommenced with a lower dose.In March 2015, a Phase II clinical trial and a Phase III started in Guinea at the same time; the Phase II trial focused on frontline health workers, while the Phase III trial was a ring vaccination in which close contacts of people who had contracted Ebola virus were vaccinated with VSV-EBOV.In January 2016, the GAVI Alliance signed an agreement with Merck under which Merck agreed to provide VSV-EBOV vaccine for future outbreaks of Ebola and GAVI paid Merck US$5 million; Merck will use the funds to complete clinical trials and obtain regulatory approval. As of that date, Merck had submitted an application to the World Health Organization (WHO) through their Emergency Use Assessment and Listing (EUAL) program to allow for use of the vaccine in the case of another epidemic. It was used on an emergency basis in Guinea in March 2016.Results of the Phase III Guinea trial were published in December 2016.