The United States is providing doses of an experimental Ebola drug for clinical testing in Africa, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on June 23.
Doses of the experimental antibody from California-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical are being transferred to the University of Oxford for a randomized clinical trial “in the outbreak region to evaluate its safety and potential efficacy against Bundibugyo ebolavirus,” a spokesperson for HHS told The Epoch Times via email.
The antibody, known as MPB134, targets multiple Ebola virus strains. It has shown efficacy in animal testing against the Bundibugyo virus, identified as being behind the growing Ebola outbreak centered in Congo.
“HHS is working with global partners to help contain the outbreak, protect Americans, and strengthen global health security,” the spokesperson said.
Mapp Biopharmaceutical did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.
Data from the trial could ultimately secure approval of the drug from U.S. regulators, according to HHS, which includes the Food and Drug Administration.
There are no approved treatments or vaccines for the Bundibugyo virus. Patients typically receive supportive care, or treatment for symptoms.
Public Citizen and other groups had called earlier in June for the United States, which had acquired doses of the antibody, to share it with Congo, Uganda, and humanitarian groups, including for testing in emergency clinical trials.
World Health Organization experts in May recommended prioritizing antibodies developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, the human monoclonal antibody Maftivimab, and an antiviral from Gilead Sciences for post-exposure prophylaxis, in clinical trials.
Trials of vaccine candidates have also been planned.
The development came as Congolese authorities said the number of confirmed cases in the outbreak was up to 1,048, and the number of deaths had increased to 267.
Another 112 people have recovered.
Uganda has also confirmed 19 cases and two deaths, but no cases for several weeks.
World Health Organization officials told reporters on Tuesday that the number of cases in the first month of the outbreak was the highest of any Ebola outbreak in history in Africa.
“It took 78 days to reach 250 deaths during the 2014 and 2016 West Africa outbreak. In the previous outbreak, 2018 to 19, it took 130 days, but for this outbreak, it only took 37 days,” Abdirahman Mahamud, the WHO’s director for health emergency alert and response operations, said during a briefing in Geneva.
The current outbreak is the third-largest on record. The largest outbreak happened in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, killing 11,325. The second-largest started in 2018 in Congo and Uganda and left some 2,300 dead. Both of those outbreaks were caused by the Zaire virus, a different ebolavirus.