Seeking to blunt a fast-moving Ebola emergency, health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) have launched a clinical trial of two candidate therapies targeting the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the first patient has already been enrolled in the DR Congo. The study begins as the outbreak, which started in May, has been declared a public health emergency. The DR Congo has recorded more than 1,400 confirmed cases and 438 deaths, with additional cases reported in Uganda and France.
There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, and the WHO says the new trial aims to pinpoint safe, effective options that can curb fatalities. Such studies are designed to rapidly evaluate promising therapies in the midst of an outbreak, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and informing frontline care.
