US Supplies Experimental Ebola Treatment as Congo Outbreak Spurs Clinical Trials

The United States has supplied doses of Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s experimental antibody treatment, MBP134, to support clinical trials and compassionate use during the growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The move marks a shift from Washington’s earlier position of reserving the treatment only for Americans considered at high risk after exposure.

The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has infected more than 1,000 people in Congo and caused over 250 deaths. Several cases and fatalities have also been reported in neighboring Uganda. Unlike the Ebola Zaire strain, Bundibugyo currently has no approved vaccines or treatments.

Clinical Trials Set to Begin Within Weeks

According to the World Health Organization, trials involving MBP134 and two antiviral drugs from Gilead Sciences are expected to start in the coming weeks. MBP134 will be tested both on its own and alongside remdesivir, while Gilead’s obeldesivir will be studied as a preventive treatment.

The WHO-sponsored MBP134 trial will be led by the University of Oxford in partnership with the governments of Congo and Uganda.

Vaccine Development Continues

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said vaccine trials will take longer because doses must first be manufactured and tested for safety. Early-stage trials could begin as soon as July, with vaccine candidates from Oxford, the Serum Institute of India, and Moderna among the leading options under development.