There's No Treatment Designed for the Ebola Strain Ravaging DRC. But Now There's Hope
The trial is testing remdesivir and MBP134 in patients as the outbreak tops 1,400 cases and 438 deaths, WHO said.
- On Thursday, the World Health Organization launched clinical trials at Bunia's Evangelical Medical Centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo to test treatments for the Bundibugyo Ebola virus.
- The outbreak has already killed over 500 people and sickened more than 1,560, prompting urgent research into the rare Bundibugyo strain for which no specific vaccines or treatments currently exist.
- Researchers are testing the antiviral remdesivir, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, and the monoclonal antibody MBP-134, developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, to determine if they improve survival among infected patients.
- A third trial will begin this week testing whether an antiviral can prevent close contacts of Ebola cases from contracting the disease, potentially curbing the epidemic's spread.
- While trials could extend into next year, experts warn that community mistrust and ongoing violence in the region remain significant obstacles; the study may require over 1,000 patients for definitive results.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Residents in eastern Congo cling to hope as a new Ebola treatment trial begins
BUNIA, Congo — Residents at the epicenter of Congo’s Ebola outbreak are pinning their hopes on experimental treatments after researchers began a highly anticipated study in early July of two possible Ebola treatments in hopes of fighting the still-growing outbreak.
This seventeenth epidemic in the DRC, officially declared on 15 May, is caused by the species Bundibugyo, against which there is no vaccine or treatment.
Ebola Deaths Surpass 500
Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have grown to 1,561 while deaths have surged to 506. The virus is still spreading as new treatment trials begin. DR Congo Begins Ebola Treatment Trial This is the largest ever Ebola outbreak, and it has yet to reach its peak. Researchers began the study of two possible treatments on Thursday at the Ebola treatment center inside Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Center, in eastern Congo’s Ituri province. …
A clinical trial of two treatments for a rare strain of the virus began last week and border countries are also exposed.
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