Trial of Experimental Treatments for Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Planned in Africa

The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergency of international concern on 17 May. The declaration followed reports of the rare Ebola Bundibugyo virus spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

Scientists are preparing a clinical trial of two experimental therapies against the virus. The trial is sponsored by the World Health Organization and requires approval from the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

One therapy under consideration is remdesivir, a broad-acting antiviral manufactured by Gilead Sciences. The second therapy is MBP134, a mixture of two antibodies developed by Mapp Biopharmaceuticals. Remdesivir was previously tested during a 2018–19 outbreak of another Ebola species and during the global pandemic.

MBP134 was administered outside a formal trial during a 2022 outbreak of a different Ebola species in Uganda.

Rojek, a clinical researcher at the University of Oxford, said the team is working to launch the trial quickly. Officials are also considering whether an approved vaccine for another Ebola species could be tested in the current outbreak. The outbreak has been linked to 336 suspected cases and 88 deaths as of 17 May, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.