WHO Says Ebola Treatment Trials Advance Amid Congo Outbreak
GENEVA- Clinical trials of experimental treatments, preventive medicines and vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola are progressing rapidly during the Democratic Republic of Congo’s ongoing outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, raising hopes that new medical tools could help combat a virus for which no approved therapies currently exist.
The outbreak, described by the WHO as the second-largest and fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic on record, is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain. Unlike the more common Zaire strain, Bundibugyo currently has no licensed vaccines or approved treatments.
Vasee Moorthy, acting head of the WHO’s Research and Development Blueprint programme, said research protocols prepared before the outbreak began had enabled scientists to launch clinical studies more quickly than during previous Ebola epidemics.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Moorthy said early preclinical findings from the experimental treatments were encouraging but stressed that only properly conducted clinical trials could determine whether the therapies and vaccines were safe and effective.
Despite the accelerated research effort, health authorities continue to face major challenges in containing the outbreak. According to WHO data, the Democratic Republic of Congo had recorded 3,748 confirmed Ebola cases and 1,657 confirmed deaths across 49 health zones in five provinces as of Aug. 1.
Health officials are monitoring approximately 17,000 people identified as contacts of confirmed cases, with more than 80% receiving daily follow-up assessments as part of efforts to interrupt transmission.
A WHO-sponsored treatment trial is currently operating at three Ebola clinical management centres in Ituri province in partnership with the medical humanitarian organizations ALIMA and Doctors Without Borders (MSF). More than 50 patients with confirmed Ebola infection have been enrolled and randomly assigned to receive one of the experimental treatment options under evaluation.
Researchers are also studying preventive therapies for people exposed to the virus. A separate prophylaxis trial led by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research and international partners has enrolled more than 25 high-risk contacts in Ituri province.
The study is evaluating whether a 10-day course of the oral antiviral drug Obeldesivir can prevent the development of Ebola after exposure to the virus.
Vaccine development is also advancing. A Bundibugyo-specific vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India entered a Phase 1 clinical trial in Britain on July 24. A second vaccine candidate, developed by Moderna, is expected to begin Phase 1 testing in Canada this week.
In parallel, the WHO is reviewing new animal research examining whether Merck’s licensed Ebola vaccine, which is approved for protection against the Zaire strain, may also provide cross-protection against Bundibugyo Ebola.
Moorthy said a WHO advisory group met last week to assess the latest findings, with recommendations expected to be issued in the near future as researchers continue efforts to expand the medical response to one of the world’s most severe Ebola outbreaks.
