WHO launches first trial of antiviral to prevent Bundibugyo strain of Ebola

WHO launches first trial of antiviral to prevent Bundibugyo strain of Ebola The World Health Organization launched the first clinical trial on Tuesday to test whether an antiviral drug can prevent infection in people exposed to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as the outbreak continues to outpace response efforts and spread beyond known chains of transmission. The first clinical trial is under way of an antiviral drug's effectiveness in people exposed to the deadly Ebola strain spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the WHO said Tuesday. The trial, called EBO-PEP, aims to assess the effectiveness of the antiviral obeldesivir in post-exposure prophylaxis, for people who have been in contact with confirmed Bundibugyo cases. The experimental drug, which is administered orally and was developed by the US pharmaceutical firm Gilead Sciences, has shown efficacy in pre-clinical models against viruses in the wider family of filoviruses that cause haemorrhagic fevers. Clinical trials mark the stage at which a promising drug is tested in humans. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed the launch of the trial in a post on X. "Every breakthrough begins with hope," he wrote. "If effective among high-risk contacts after exposure, this could mark a major step forward" in preventing contacts from developing disease, he added. Read moreDR Congo Ebola outbreak's true scale could be four times higher than official toll, WHO says Daily monitoring There are no approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo. According to the DRC's latest official figures, the rare Ebola species has infected more than 1,960 people and killed more than 700. The outbreak was declared on May 15 after several deaths in Ituri, a mineral-rich north-eastern province plagued by armed groups. Cases of Ebola, which spreads through close contact and infected bodily fluids, have been found in five DRC provinces and in neighbouring Uganda. But more than 90 per cent of cases are still being detected in Ituri. The first patients for the obeldesivir trial are being recruited at PEP centres set up adjacent to the Ebola treatment centres operated by the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) NGO in Bunia and Rwampara, in Ituri. It aims to recruit nearly 1,000 participants aged 12 and over who have been in direct contact with a confirmed case within the preceding five days but are not showing symptoms. Each participant will be monitored daily for 21 days, with a final visit at 42 days. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Fears of wider spread Earlier on Tuesday, the WHO said the Bundibugyo outbreak in the DRC could be at least two to four times larger than official figures suggest. Returning from Bunia, WHO emergencies chief Chikwe Ihekweazu told reporters in Geneva that the outbreak "continues to outpace the response efforts". He said 80 per cent of new cases were outside the lists of known contacts and were "from unknown chains of transmission", and voiced alarm that many newly reported cases were people who died without ever reaching a health facility. The trial of two potential treatments for patients with Bundibugyo began in Ituri on July 2. It is evaluating the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir, alone and in combination. The trial will take months and could even run into next year, and might require more than 1,000 patients to produce definitive answers. (FRANCE 24 with AFP) [Image text:] Organisation nondiale de r ladras Adhanom Ghabreyesus