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Urge Inside Health | UrgeDevWire

A weekly development news platform published by UrgeDevWire, produced by Urge Communications. Covering wider East African region.

Inside Health News Desk| East Africa. Urge- DevWire

WHO Announces Ebola Therapeutics Trial to Begin in Ituri; Over 100 Patients Have Recovered

GENEVA / BUNIA, 24 June 2026

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on 24 June that preparations were complete for a clinical trial of two candidate therapeutics against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, set to begin the following week at a hospital in DRC's Ituri Province. The trial will evaluate monoclonal antibody MBP134, developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, and antiviral remdesivir, developed by Gilead Sciences, individually and in combination. Doses for the trial were donated by the United States government and Gilead Sciences.

Tedros stated that more than 100 patients had recovered from the disease as of that date, noting that with early detection and supportive care survival is possible. He stressed, however, that therapeutics could save many more lives if proven effective. Treatment bed capacity has expanded from fewer than 10 beds at the outbreak's start to over 500 across 19 health centres. Laboratory capacity in DRC has grown from 30 tests per day at one central facility to over 2,000 tests per day across nine laboratories in three provinces, with support from WHO and Africa CDC.

Tedros cited significant ongoing gaps: contact tracing remained at roughly 45 percent, far below the 90 percent threshold needed to stay ahead of transmission. He also noted that financial support remained insufficient relative to the scale of operations, and called for urgent political action to improve humanitarian access.

Inside Health News Desk| East Africa. Urge- DevWire