ITURI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO / MENA Newswire / – The Democratic Republic of the Congo has opened patient enrollment in a clinical trial for Bundibugyo virus disease as confirmed Ebola cases rose to 1,708, including 580 deaths. Government data showed the latest totals on Wednesday. The trial targets the Ebola species driving the outbreak in eastern provinces. Health authorities say no vaccine or approved specific treatment exists for this form of Ebola.
The PARTNERS trial will test MBP134, a monoclonal antibody, and remdesivir, an antiviral drug. Researchers will assess each therapy alone and in combination. All enrolled patients will also receive supportive care, including fluids, oxygen support, pain control, blood pressure care and electrolyte replacement. Trial teams will follow patients for at least 28 days after enrollment to track survival and clinical progress.
The World Health Organization sponsors the trial with the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale. The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium and the University of Oxford also coordinate the study. Africa CDC supports the effort. The trial runs with the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare, ALIMA and Médecins Sans Frontières response teams.
Trial targets rare Ebola species
The outbreak involves Bundibugyo virus disease, one of the diseases caused by an Ebola virus species. Health officials confirmed the outbreak in May. The virus has spread in a region with heavy population movement, mining activity, displacement and security problems. Ituri has reported most of the cases, while North Kivu and South Kivu have also reported infections.
WHO data from July 1 showed 1,460 confirmed cases and 452 deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at that time. The toll has since increased. Earlier data also showed more than 100 infections among health and care workers. Uganda has reported linked cases, and France reported one confirmed case in a doctor who returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Response faces security and care gaps
Health teams continue contact tracing, laboratory testing, isolation and treatment in affected areas. WHO has described the risk in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as very high because transmission continues and cases have reached new health zones. Treatment centers face pressure from rising patient numbers. Response teams also work in areas affected by violence, mistrust and gaps in basic services.
The trial offers a structured way to study therapies during the Ebola response. It enrolls patients of any age with confirmed Bundibugyo virus disease. Independent monitors will review study data. The platform design allows researchers to add other treatments after scientific review. For now, MBP134 and remdesivir remain the main therapies under evaluation as case numbers continue to rise.