DRC launches Ebola treatment trial

Researchers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have started enrolling participants in a trial testing Gilead Sciences’ experimental antiviral obeldesivir as a post-exposure treatment for the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda.

DR Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, among other international agencies, is leading the trial in Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak. The trial is designed to assess whether post-exposure treatment can reduce the risk of developing Ebola infection after contact with the virus.

The study aims to enrol about 1,000 people aged 12 years and older who had high-risk exposure to a confirmed Ebola case within the previous five days but have not developed symptoms. Participants will be monitored daily for 21 days, with a final follow-up at 42 days.

Gilead has donated 2,400 bottles of obeldesivir and 2,000 vials of remdesivir to support the trial. The project has received initial funding of 3.4 million euros ($3.87 million) from the Global Health EDCTP3 partnership and $1 million from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Africa CDC also secured an additional $5 million from South Africa and DRC.

The study also includes a compassionate-use protocol under which remdesivir would be given to children under 12 and pregnant or breastfeeding women exposed to the virus.

The outbreak has led to 1,963 confirmed cases and 719 deaths in DRC, according to government data.

SOURCE: Reuters