Global health authorities are racing to identify medical options to help contain an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, linked to the\u00a0Bundibugyo\u00a0strain of the virus.<\/p>\n
Unlike for the more common Zaire strain, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo.<\/p>\n
The latest outbreak has led to\u00a02,473 confirmed cases in Congo, including 999 deaths, government data showed. Bundibugyo ebolavirus, or BDBV, has a fatality rate of up to 40%.<\/p>\n
A small number of experimental vaccines and therapies are being assessed, and global \u200bhealth authorities are examining whether any existing Ebola treatments might offer protection \u2014 so far supported only by limited animal data.<\/p>\n
Most experimental treatments have not yet been tested in humans and would require emergency or compassionate-use authorization before they are deployed in Congo.<\/p>\n
The \u200cWorld Health Organization has\u00a0recommended prioritizing\u00a0several experimental drugs, including antibodies, antivirals and vaccines, for the treatment and prevention of BDBV.<\/p>\n
Here is what we know of these candidates so far:<\/em><\/p>\n The University of Oxford launched the first human trial of a vaccine against Bundibugyo ebolavirus in July to evaluate the safety and immune response in 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 in Oxford.<\/p>\n The vaccine is based on ChAdOx1 technology, which was used in the Oxford\/AstraZeneca\u00a0COVID-19 vaccine, and is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).<\/p>\n SII has manufactured and stockpiled approximately 620,000 doses of the experimental vaccine candidate in anticipation of later-stage trials and potential emergency use if it proves effective, and supplied 4,000 doses for the early-stage trial.<\/p>\n The Coalition for \u200bEpidemic Preparedness Innovations said it would initially invest up to $8.6 million for the development of the shot.<\/p>\n The WHO said experts considered a single dose of the vaccine candidate potentially suitable for contacts of Ebola cases, while a two-dose regimen might be used for high-risk but unexposed \u200bgroups, including healthcare workers and frontline responders.<\/p>\n WHO said in May that a single-dose rVSV Bundibugyo vaccine being developed by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative is the most promising candidate to prevent BDBV.<\/p>\n The vaccine, rVSV\u0394G\/BDBV-GP, which uses the \u2060same technology as Merck’s\u00a0approved shot Ervebo for the Zaire strain, has shown survival benefit in non-human primates in a 2023 proof-of-concept study.<\/p>\n The WHO said the vaccine’s development would likely take seven to nine months before it is ready for assessment in a clinical trial.<\/p>\n The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative said it \u200bis advancing the candidate toward a clinical trial and preparing for manufacturing, including transferring the vaccine virus and processes for good manufacturing practices production.<\/p>\n The global partnership, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, has committed to an initial funding of $3.2 million to advance the vaccine candidate.<\/p>\n Moderna\u00a0said it has partnered with \u200bCEPI to advance its\u00a0mRNA-based BDBV vaccine\u00a0candidate into pre-clinical and early clinical testing. CEPI has committed up to $50 million to support development, including manufacturing, and progression to later-stage trials if early safety and immunogenicity data are positive.<\/p>\n Privately held Public Health Vaccines is developing an experimental rVSV Bundibugyo virus vaccine, similar to Merck’s Ervebo.<\/p>\n CEPI said it would provide $1.9 million funding to advance the candidate into early clinical testing.<\/p>\n The WHO has recommended prioritizing privately held Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s pan-ebolavirus antibody\u00a0drug, MBP134 \u2014 a combination of two human monoclonal antibodies \u2014 for clinical trials among confirmed BDBV cases.<\/p>\n The WHO said in early July that a clinical trial in Congo had begun enrolling patients to test MBP134 and Gilead Sciences’ antiviral\u00a0remdesivir, \u200balone and in combination, against the disease.<\/p>\n U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, has shipped doses of the investigational treatment for compassionate use in Congo as well as to advance a clinical trial in the outbreak region.<\/p>\n Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’\u00a0antibody drug candidate, maftivimab, is also being explored as a \u200bpotential treatment by the WHO. According to the company, it has been shown in a lab to be active against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus.<\/p>\n Regeneron said it is working to prepare existing supply of maftivimab for use in upcoming clinical trials.<\/p>\n The FDA has approved a combination of maftivimab and two other antibodies, atoltivimab and odesivimab, under the brand \u200cname Inmazeb, to \u2060treat Zaire ebolavirus infection in adult and pediatric patients.<\/p>\n The company said it recently donated 500 doses of Inmazeb to the WHO, which could be used if found helpful.<\/p>\n “Supply of Inmazeb is already on the ground in the DRC, should WHO wish to utilize it for immediate treatment or as an additional component of the study,” Regeneron said.<\/p>\n Human monoclonal antibodies isolated from Bundibugyo survivors have also been explored as potential treatments.<\/p>\n One candidate, BDBV289-N, demonstrated efficacy in a 2018 animal study. The study, conducted by a group of researchers with support from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, showed the antibody gave up to 100% protection in infected monkeys, even when treatment started up to eight days after the infection.<\/p>\n Gilead Sciences’\u00a0experimental oral antiviral drug obeldesivir is being considered as a potential post-exposure treatment by the WHO to prevent those exposed to Ebola from developing the disease.<\/p>\n Once-daily obeldesivir given for 10 days provided up to 100% protection in \u200bmonkeys against the Zaire and Sudan Ebola strains when treatment began 24 hours \u200bafter exposure.<\/p>\n “Obeldesivir is predicted to be active against this particular (Bundibugyo) strain. \u2060While not approved for this, we do have preclinical data that shows positive results,” a company spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Gilead’s antiviral remdesivir has shown activity against the Bundibugyo virus in\u00a0laboratory studies\u00a0conducted by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Some data suggest the drug, given as an intravenous infusion, may have stronger activity against BDBV than against the Zaire Ebola strain.<\/p>\n The WHO has also recommended a combination therapy using a monoclonal antibody and remdesivir for evaluation.<\/p>\n The \u200bWHO had indicated that limited testing capacity for the Bundibugyo strain was\u00a0slowing response\u00a0to the outbreak. Here are tests that can detect the infection.<\/p>\n Roche\u00a0said it has developed a research-use-only molecular polymerase chain reaction test \u200bto detect Ebola Bundibugyo virus. The test was \u2060developed by TIB MOLBIOL, a Roche unit.<\/p>\n The drugmaker said it is working with public health laboratories and authorities to make the test available in the affected regions.<\/p>\n BioFire Defense, an affiliate of French diagnostic firm bioMerieux makes an FDA-cleared test – BioFire Global Fever Special Pathogens Panel – that can detect multiple Ebola species, including Bundibugyo.<\/p>\n A company spokesperson said it is increasing production capacity and engaging with public health stakeholders and international contacts to assess potential needs.<\/p>\n Germany-based firm Altona Diagnostics’ test, called RealStar Filovirus Screen RT-PCR Kit 1.0, is being used to detect the Bundibugyo outbreak in Congo. The firm has ramped up production to support local testing facilities in Congo.<\/p>\n As \u2060of early July, this \u200btest remained under WHO review and had not yet received Emergency Use Listing.<\/p>\n Shanghai ZJ Bio-Tech’s\u00a0test, known as Ebola Virus (EBOV) Real Time RT-PCR Kit, was the first diagnostic test \u200bfor the Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus to be added to the WHO’s Emergency Use Listing on July 2.<\/p>\n Other diagnostic tests under WHO review include South Korea’s KH Medical’s RADIONE Ebola\/Marburg Detection Kit and RADIONE Ebola Detection Kit, as well as Cepheid’s Xpert Hemorrhagic Fever Panel.<\/p>\n OraSure Technologies said in July it had received U.S. Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization for \u200bits second-generation OraQuick Ebola 2.0 Rapid Antigen Test, which can detect all four Ebola viruses known to cause disease in humans, including the Bundibugyo strain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Global health authorities are racing to identify medical options to help contain an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, linked to the\u00a0Bundibugyo\u00a0strain of the virus. Unlike for the more common Zaire strain, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo. The latest outbreak has led to\u00a02,473 confirmed cases in Congo, including 999 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":10,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","source_name":"Reuters","subtitle":""},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,29,2362,2854,1129],"tags":[5329,1452],"class_list":["post-21540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-central-africa","category-east-africa","category-featured","category-health","category-security","tag-bundibugyo-ebola-vaccines","tag-ebola-outbreak"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21540"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21541,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21540\/revisions\/21541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}VACCINES<\/strong><\/h3>\n
ANTIBODY-BASED THERAPIES<\/strong><\/h3>\n
ANTIVIRAL DRUGS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
DIAGNOSTIC TESTS<\/strong><\/h3>\n