Researchers have launched a clinical trial to evaluate potential treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease (EVD), with the first patient enrolled in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday, July 3, 2026.
The Platform Adaptive Randomised Trial for New and Repurposed Filovirus Treatments (PARTNERS) will assess whether two antiviral therapies, a monoclonal antibody known as MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir—can improve survival among patients diagnosed with Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease. Researchers will also examine whether combining the two therapies provides greater benefits than using either treatment alone.
Sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), the trial is being conducted through a collaboration between the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in the DRC, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
The study comes as the DRC continues to battle an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease, which was officially declared in May. Since then, more than 1,400 people have been diagnosed with the disease, nearly 210 have recovered and almost 440 have died. In Uganda, the Bundibugyo strain has infected 20 people, resulting in two deaths.
Although effective treatments have been developed for some forms of Ebola virus disease, there are currently no approved therapies specifically for the Bundibugyo strain, and no treatment has yet demonstrated effectiveness across all Ebola virus species.
The WHO Technical Advisory Group selected MBP134 and remdesivir after reviewing available scientific evidence, including preclinical studies, safety data and findings from previous Ebola outbreak responses. Remdesivir has previously been studied as a treatment for other Ebola virus species and for COVID-19.
According to a WHO statement, all participants enrolled in the trial will be monitored for at least 28 days after enrollment.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the rapid establishment of the PARTNERS trial in collaboration with national authorities and scientific partners offers hope of identifying effective treatment options for communities affected by the outbreak.
“The PARTNERS trial, established with national authorities and scientific partners in record time, offers real hope that can deliver concrete results for and with the communities at the heart of the outbreak,” Dr Tedros said.
By Newsroom
3rd July 2026
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