WHO Launches First Ebola Treatment Trial in DR Congo Amid Ongoing Outbreak
In a landmark move, the World Health Organization announced today the start of a clinical trial testing two experimental drugs against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola that has been ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The first patient was enrolled on Thursday, marking the trial’s launch in Kinshasa. Over 1,400 confirmed cases and 438 deaths have been reported in the DRC alone.
No fully approved vaccines or treatments currently exist for this Ebola subtype, prompting the WHO to partner with national and international research institutions, including the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium, and the University of Oxford.
WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged that the trial could save countless lives, noting that while some patients have recovered without approved therapies, safe, effective treatments would dramatically improve outcomes.
The outbreak, which began in May 2026, has been declared a public‑health emergency. Additional cases have emerged in Uganda and France, underscoring the global threat.
The trial will evaluate efficacy, safety and dosing of the two candidate therapies, providing critical data that could shape future global responses to Ebola outbreaks.
