Ebola trial begins in DRC as outbreak death toll hits 438
A clinical trial for a Bundibugyo strain Ebola treatment has enrolled its first patient in the DRC, where the outbreak has killed 438 people.
A clinical trial for a treatment targeting the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has enrolled its first patient in the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking a major step in efforts to contain the country’s ongoing outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. The trial will test Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s experimental MBP134 antibody, both alone and in combination with Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir, in more than 1,000 patients.
The outbreak has infected over 1,400 people and claimed 438 lives, with the country recording an average of 38 new confirmed cases daily over the past two weeks. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said violence and mistrust, including an attack on an Ebola treatment centre that killed two people, continue to hamper response efforts. WHO said laboratory capacity and treatment facilities have expanded, while Gilead has donated more than 4,000 vials of remdesivir to support the trial and emergency treatment.
The Nigerian stake is clear. The DRC Ebola outbreak is not just a Congolese problem; it is a regional threat. Nigeria has experience with Ebola, having contained the 2014 outbreak through a combination of robust surveillance, rapid response and international cooperation. The current DRC outbreak is a reminder that the threat is always present.
This mirrors the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, which killed over 11,000 people and exposed the weaknesses of health systems across the region. Nigeria’s response to that outbreak was widely praised, but it also revealed gaps in surveillance, laboratory capacity and emergency preparedness. The current DRC outbreak offers another lesson: violence and mistrust can undermine even the best public health response.
The winners: Congolese patients who receive experimental treatments. Gilead, which gains data on its antiviral drug. The losers: the families of the 438 people who have died, and the Congolese health system, which is struggling to contain the outbreak.
Bottom Line: An Ebola trial has begun. The outbreak is still spreading. The question is whether the trial will outpace the virus.