Full Breakdown
WHO Launches PARTNERS Trial to Test Treatments for Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak
7/8/2026, 3:53:36 AM
Outbreak Overview and Trial Initiation
On 2 July 2026 the World Health Organization announced the start of enrollment for the Platform Adaptive Randomized Trial for New and Repurposed Filovirus Treatments (PARTNERS). The trial targets the Bundibugyo virus, the strain driving the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, which has produced over 1,500 confirmed cases and more than 500 deaths in the DRC.
Partnerships and Context
Bundibugyo virus is a distinct Ebolavirus species with no approved vaccine or therapy. The trial is sponsored by WHO, led by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in the DRC, and coordinated with the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Belgium), the University of Oxford (UK), and Africa CDC. Infectious-disease specialist Monica Gandhi (UCSF) has provided expert commentary.
Trial Design
PARTNERS uses an adaptive, randomized platform to evaluate three arms: monoclonal-antibody cocktail MBP134, remdesivir—an antiviral approved for COVID-19—and their combination. MBP134 contains two human antibodies (ADI-15878, ADI-23774) isolated from a 2013-2016 Ebola survivor. The primary endpoint is improved survival versus standard supportive care.
Official Statements & Responses
WHO noted that the May 17 public-health emergency required rapid therapeutic development, stressing isolation, contact tracing, and quarantine as the only proven containment tools without a vaccine. The agency said the trial’s arms were chosen after reviewing safety data and real-world outcomes from prior outbreaks, and that the study will follow a strict protocol.
Verbatim Quotes
- “By the time the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern on May 17, the virus had already spread considerably and – without any vaccines or treatment- the only way to contain the virus is isolation of someone who is sick, contact tracing, and quarantine of exposed contacts. Given the deadly nature of Ebola, a treatment and eventually, a vaccine, are of the utmost importance.” — World Health Organization (WHO)
- “The current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is caused by a strain called the Bundibugyo virus, which is a distinct species of the Ebolavirus family without current vaccines or treatments,” — Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH, Infectious Disease Specialist, University of California, San Francisco
- “MBP134 targets binding sites on the ebolavirus that are common to multiple strains, including neutralizing multiple strains, including Ebola (Zaire), Sudan, and Bundibugyo,” — Monica Gandhi
- “The WHO reiterated to MNT that the research teams decided on these therapeutic approaches after reviewing the existing evidence supporting their potential and safety, as well as evidence based on real-world outcomes from “previous outbreak responses,” following a strict protocol .” — World Health Organization (WHO)
Gaps and Next Steps
Evidence for MBP134 and remdesivir comes mainly from non-human-primate studies and earlier Ebola outbreaks; no human efficacy data exist for the Bundibugyo strain. No vaccine is currently available. Enrollment will continue while safety and survival are monitored, and the data will determine the therapies’ effectiveness.
