U.S. Releases Experimental Ebola Drug for Congo Trials as Outbreak Tops 1,000 Cases
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Jun 24
U.S. Releases Experimental Ebola Drug for Congo Trials as Outbreak Tops 1,000 Cases
3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Jun 24
Summary
Stockpiled doses of Mapp Biopharmaceutical's MBP134 are being sent to Democratic Republic of Congo for compassionate use and clinical trials, marking a U.S. shift from reserving the drug only for exposed Americans.
More than 1,000 cases and over 250 deaths from the Bundibugyo strain have been reported in Congo, with a handful of cases and deaths in Uganda, and the WHO has warned the outbreak could become the worst yet without a strong response.
Trials of MBP134 and two Gilead antivirals are due to start in coming weeks, pending ethics and regulatory reviews in Congo and Uganda; MBP134 will be tested alone and with remdesivir, while obeldesivir is aimed at prevention.
No approved vaccines or treatments exist for Bundibugyo, and vaccine studies lag behind drug trials, with earliest Phase 1 testing expected in July likely outside Congo.
Conflict, mistrust, attacks on health workers and weak supply chains threaten the studies, while the WHO says any successful drugs must remain accessible in affected countries after the trials.