WHO starts trial of Ebola antiviral in Congo

July 15, 2026

2–3 minutes

Summary

WHO said a first human trial began in Congo to test whether an antiviral can prevent Bundibugyo Ebola after exposure.

Why this matters

The trial could help determine whether exposed contacts can be protected during a growing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak with no approved vaccines or treatments. It also comes as the World Health Organization says the outbreak may be significantly larger than official counts.

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that the first clinical trial has begun to test whether an antiviral drug can prevent Bundibugyo Ebola after exposure in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The trial, called EBO-PEP, will assess obeldesivir as post-exposure prophylaxis for people who had contact with confirmed Bundibugyo cases. The oral experimental drug was developed by Gilead Sciences and has shown efficacy in pre-clinical models against filoviruses, the family of viruses that causes hemorrhagic fevers.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed the launch in a post on X.

“Every breakthrough begins with hope,” he wrote.

“If effective among high-risk contacts after exposure, this could mark a major step forward” in preventing contacts from developing disease, he added.

There are no approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo.

The outbreak was declared May 15 after several deaths in Ituri, a northeastern province affected by armed groups.

Cases have been found in five Congo provinces and in neighboring Uganda, though more than 90% are still being detected in Ituri.

The first patients for the obeldesivir trial are being recruited at post-exposure prophylaxis centers next to Ebola treatment centers run by the Alliance for International Medical Action in Bunia and Rwampara, in Ituri.

The study aims to enroll nearly 1,000 participants ages 12 and older who had direct contact with a confirmed case within the previous five days and are not showing symptoms. Participants will be monitored daily for 21 days, with a final visit at 42 days.

Earlier Tuesday, the World Health Organization said the outbreak could be at least two to four times larger than official figures suggest. After returning from Bunia, World Health Organization emergencies chief Chikwe Ihekweazu told reporters in Geneva that the outbreak “continues to outpace the response efforts.”

He said 80% of new cases were not on known contact lists and came “from unknown chains of transmission.” He also said many newly reported cases were people who died without reaching a health facility.

A separate trial of two possible treatments for Bundibugyo patients began in Ituri on July 2. It is evaluating the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral remdesivir, alone and in combination. The trial could take months and may require more than 1,000 patients, the World Health Organization said.

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