WHO Launches Clinical Trial for Ebola Treatments Amid DRC Outbreak

Sun Sep 06 2026 03:01:06 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

WHO begins a pivotal trial of two therapeutics in the DRC as the Ebola outbreak escalates, seeking new weapons against a deadly Bundibugyo strain.

The World Health Organization has opened a clinical trial for two experimental treatments to combat the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola that is killing more than 400 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. First patients were enrolled on Thursday, marking a crucial step in the fight against the outbreak that began in May and has been declared a public‑health emergency. The trial is being carried out by researchers in the DRC, Belgium and the United Kingdom, and promises hope where existing vaccines and therapies are absent. As cases rise, WHO and its partners stress that even with limited approved options, patients can recover, but safe and effective treatments are desperately needed to save lives.

WHO Launches Clinical Trial for Ebola Treatments Amid DRC Outbreak

Congolese health workers receive a patient at the Rwampara General Hospital – Reuters

A first patient has been enrolled in a WHO‑sponsored clinical trial aimed at evaluating two experimental therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola growing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The trial, chaired by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, marks a critical step in an outbreak that began in May, has been declared a public‑health emergency, and has now seen more than 1,400 confirmed cases and 438 deaths in the DRC alone.

The Bundibugyo virus is highly infectious, yet no approved vaccine or treatment exists for this strain. Researchers from the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in the DRC, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium and the University of Oxford in the UK are guiding the trial, which tests the safety and efficacy of two therapeutic candidates against a backdrop of urgent need.

WHO statements: “Even without approved therapeutics, people are recovering from this disease, but of course, we could save many more lives with safe and effective therapeutics in our toolkit,” said Tedros as the trial began.

The outbreak, which also affects Uganda and has reached France, continues to raise grave concerns. Early signs of the disease resemble fever, headache and fatigue, and the virus typically spreads among humans after contact with infected fruit bats or animals.

With no single vaccine covering all Ebola species, each strain requires distinct research, underscoring the stakes of the current trial. Health officials worldwide are awaiting results that could inform future containment and treatment strategies for the 21‑day latent period and high mortality rate associated with Ebola.

The WHO stresses that, while early cases show some degree of recovery, a reliable therapeutic arsenal remains essential. The collaborative effort across Africa, Europe and the UK demonstrates a unified commitment to delivering lifesaving solutions in a crisis that threatens to claim thousands more lives.