Researchers have initiated a significant study of two potential Ebola treatments in eastern Congo, with the World Health Organization announcing the enrollment of the first participant on Thursday. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a less common strain of Ebola for which no specific treatments or vaccines currently exist.
As of Thursday, the outbreak has resulted in over 1,400 diagnoses and 438 deaths, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. While standard supportive care can be effective, particularly when administered early, with over 200 individuals having recovered, there is an urgent need for more targeted interventions. The trial "offers real hope that we can deliver concrete results for – and with – the communities at the heart of the outbreak," Tedros stated.
The study will assess the efficacy of two drugs: Gilead Sciences' remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral approved for COVID-19 that has shown preliminary promise against the Bundibugyo virus in laboratory tests, and Mapp Biopharmaceutical's experimental MBP134, a cocktail of antibodies designed to target Ebola viruses including Bundibugyo.
Participants in the trial will receive current best standard care and will be randomly assigned to also receive remdesivir, MBP134, both, or neither. Survival will be monitored for 28 days post-treatment initiation, said WHO research adviser Dr. Vasee Moorthy. Moorthy cautioned that it could take months and up to 1,000 participants to definitively determine if either drug is effective, though a highly effective treatment might be identified more quickly with fewer patients.
Currently, the trial is being conducted at a single Ebola treatment center in Congo's Ituri province. The region has faced significant challenges due to ongoing violence, which has also impacted healthcare workers attempting to control the virus's spread through contact with infected bodily fluids. Expansion to additional sites is planned once safety permits.
Doses of both remdesivir and MBP134 have been donated by Gilead and the U.S. government, respectively, for the duration of the trial. Should either drug prove effective, ensuring continued patient access beyond the study will be the subsequent step.
This WHO-supported trial is a collaborative effort involving Congo's national biomedical research institute INRB, Oxford University in Britain, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, and other international health organizations.