{"id":35793,"date":"2026-05-29T13:07:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T11:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/?post_type=news&#038;p=35793"},"modified":"2026-05-29T13:07:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T11:07:25","slug":"who-recommends-clinical-trials-for-ebola-treatments-amid-bundibugyo-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/who-recommends-clinical-trials-for-ebola-treatments-amid-bundibugyo-outbreak\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO recommends clinical trials for Ebola treatments amid Bundibugyo outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The advisory groups concluded that all identified candidate products should be used exclusively within clinical trials. The recommendation <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is aimed at generating<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> reliable data while ensuring that research is conducted safely and ethically.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WHO brought together its Research and Development Blueprint technical advisory groups, as well as the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation and its Ebola vaccine working group, to evaluate available options for both prevention and treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WHO confirmed that there are currently no licensed vaccines or therapeutics specifically approved for the Bundibugyo strain. However, several candidate products have been identified as suitable for further evaluation through clinical trials.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The organisation said it is working with authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to facilitate the implementation of these trials.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For treatment, experts recommended prioritising three candidate therapeutics for clinical trials among confirmed cases:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The monoclonal antibodies MBP134 and Maftivimab\u00ae<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The antiviral remdesivir<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The use of combination therapy involving a monoclonal antibody and remdesivir is also being considered for evaluation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For prevention, experts identified several approaches for assessment:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The oral antiviral obeldesivir has been prioritised for post-exposure prophylaxis among contacts of confirmed and probable cases. This approach depends on effective contact tracing, which has been challenging in some affected areas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The most promising vaccine candidate is the single-dose rVSV Bundibugyo vaccine, currently under development. It may take seven to nine months before it is ready for clinical trials.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Another vaccine candidate, ChAdOx1 Bundibugyo, could be available for evaluation within two to three months, although further data is still required to confirm its prioritisation. Experts noted that a single-dose approach could be used for contacts, while a two-dose strategy could be considered for high-risk groups such as healthcare workers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Experts also reviewed the use of Ervebo, the only licensed Ebola vaccine. WHO stated that it is not approved for the Bundibugyo strain and that evidence of its effectiveness against this variant remains limited.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WHO recommended that Ervebo <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">should only<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> be used <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">within<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> carefully designed research settings to assess its potential effectiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WHO said all clinical trials must meet the highest ethical standards and be conducted under the leadership of national health authorities, with the involvement of affected communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The organisation is working with partners, including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and research institutions, to develop protocols for evaluating the safety and effectiveness of these candidate products.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">While research is underway, WHO emphasised that current efforts remain focused on controlling the outbreak using established methods. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Disease surveillance<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Rapid testing and diagnosis<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Contact tracing<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Isolation and treatment of patients<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Infection prevention and control<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Community engagement<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Safe and dignified burials<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WHO also called for improved access to essential supplies and stronger community engagement to support outbreak response efforts. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The organisation said coordinated investment in research and development is essential to accelerate the availability of effective countermeasures for the Bundibugyo virus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&#8211;WHO\/ChannelAfrica&#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":35726,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-35793","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The World Health Organisation (WHO) has convened expert advisory groups to assess potential vaccines and treatments in response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with cases also reported in Uganda.","published_date":"","news_description":"The World Health Organisation (WHO) has convened expert advisory groups to assess potential vaccines and treatments in response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with cases also reported in Uganda.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/35793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/35793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35794,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/35793\/revisions\/35794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=35793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}