As health officials grapple with a fast-moving outbreak of the Bundibugyo ebolavirus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization today revealed plans to kick off a trial of two potential therapeutics—either alone or in combination with one another.
Speaking at a media briefing, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “preparations are now complete for a trial of two therapeutics that is expected to start in DRC next week.”
Officials are planning to study Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s MBP134 and Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir, which gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic and secured regulatory authorizations branded as Veklury. The plan is to test whether the candidates can reduce mortality in patients with confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), either used individually or in combination, the WHO chief said.
Previously, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to Fierce that the agency had tapped Mapp for doses of its antiviral prospect. Speaking to the media Wednesday, WHO’s Ghebreyesus said that the U.S. and Gilead Sciences are donating doses of the treatment candidates for the trial.
Several organizations are taking part in the effort, Ghebreyesus said, including the DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, The Alliance for International Medical Action and Oxford University.
As it stands, there are no licensed therapeutics or vaccines for Bundibugyo ebolavirus. Last month, WHO advisors recommended MBP134, remdesivir and maftivimab, which is one ingredient in Regeneron’s triple antibody Ebola cocktail Inmazeb, for potential use in trials among individuals with confirmed BVD cases.
For the post-exposure prophylaxis setting, Gilead’s experimental obeldesivir could be used among people who’ve been exposed to the virus, the advisors said.
The agency is “in close touch with the developers and other partners on clinical trials,” a spokesperson for the agency said via email Wednesday.
Besides those potential treatment options, Merck has shared its willingness to leverage molnupiravir as a potential countermeasure for the outbreak. The antiviral drug is already approved as the Ebola drug Lagevrio and saw use during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well.
So far in the DRC Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak, there are 1,094 confirmed cases and 277 deaths, according to Ghebreyesus.