The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched an international clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to evaluate two experimental treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), a rare form of Ebola, as the country battles an ongoing outbreak.

The trial, known as the Platform Adaptive Randomised Trial for New and Repurposed Filovirus TreatmentS (PARTNERS), began enrolling patients on Thursday, WHO said in a statement.

The study will assess whether the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir can reduce deaths among people infected with the Bundibugyo virus. Researchers will also investigate whether combining the two medicines provides better outcomes than using either treatment alone.

The trial is sponsored by WHO and coordinated by the Institut National pour la Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in the DRC, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is supported by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other international research and humanitarian partners.

Search for effective treatment

The trial comes as the DRC continues to battle a Bundibugyo virus outbreak that has infected more than 1,400 people and claimed 440 lives, highlighting the urgent need for effective treatment.

WHO said there are currently no approved medicines specifically for Bundibugyo virus disease, although treatments exist for some other Ebola virus species.

“The trial comes as the DRC continues to grapple with a Bundibugyo virus outbreak that has infected more than 1,400 people. Nearly 210 patients have recovered, while about 440 people have died, underscoring the urgent need for effective treatment options.”

According to the organisation, the WHO Technical Advisory Group selected MBP134 and remdesivir after reviewing available scientific evidence, including laboratory findings, safety data and lessons from previous Ebola outbreaks.

Participants in the study will be monitored for at least 28 days after enrolment while receiving supportive care, including fluid replacement, oxygen therapy, blood pressure management and pain relief in line with WHO treatment guidelines.

WHO Director-General, Tedros  Ghebreyesus, said the trial offers hope to patients and affected communities.

“The PARTNERS trial, established with national authorities and scientific partners in record time, offers real hope that we can deliver concrete results for and with the communities at the heart of the outbreak.”

He noted that while some patients recover without specific treatment, effective medicines could significantly improve survival.

Why the trial matters

WHO said the adaptive design of the study allows researchers to add and evaluate new treatments as scientific evidence emerges, enabling a faster response during disease outbreaks.

Amanda Rojek, PARTNERS Trial Operations Lead at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford, said one of the major lessons from previous Ebola outbreaks was that research should be conducted alongside emergency response efforts rather than after outbreaks have ended.

She said the study could generate evidence quickly enough to guide treatment decisions during the current outbreak, potentially producing results within months.

The Director-General of the Institut National pour la Recherche Biomédicale, Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, said integrating the trial into routine patient care would allow patients to access promising investigational therapies while helping scientists improve responses to future outbreaks.

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“By integrating this trial into clinical care, we are giving patients access to promising investigational treatments while generating the evidence needed to improve care for current and future outbreaks,” he said.

The DRC’s Health Minister, Samuel Kamba, described the launch of the PARTNERS trial as a major milestone for the country’s public health response, expressing optimism that it could identify more effective treatments, save lives during the current outbreak and strengthen global preparedness for future Ebola outbreaks.

Ebola

Bundibugyo virus disease is one of the six known species of the Ebola virus. It was first identified in Uganda in 2007 and causes symptoms similar to other forms of Ebola, including fever, severe weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

Unlike the Zaire strain of Ebola, for which licensed vaccines and treatments exist, there are currently no approved vaccines or medicines specifically targeting the Bundibugyo virus.

The immediate past chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State chapter, Babajide Saheed, has challenged the interpretation of figures showing that Lagos recorded 10,430 new HIV cases in 2025, arguing that the data reflects routine HIV testing rather than newly diagnosed infections.

Mr Saheed made the clarification on Channels Television during The Morning Brief show on Wednesday while reacting to figures from the ”State of the Health of the Nation Report 2025,” which have sparked widespread discussion on social media.

The report indicates that Lagos recorded 10,430 new HIV cases in 2025, the highest among Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and higher than the combined figures for Kaduna, Adamawa and the FCT.

During the programme, the television anchors questioned why Lagos continued to record such high numbers despite years of HIV awareness campaigns and prevention efforts.

Interpretation

Responding, Mr Saheed said the figures should not be interpreted as newly diagnosed HIV infections.

According to him, the numbers largely represent HIV positivity from routine testing carried out among people already receiving treatment, alongside newly diagnosed cases.

“It is routine testing,” he said repeatedly during the interview, urging viewers to refer to the clarification issued by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).

He explained that people living with HIV routinely undergo tests while receiving antiretroviral treatment, and those results are captured in health records.

However, despite disagreeing with the interpretation of the figures, Mr Saheed acknowledged that Lagos continues to bear a significant HIV burden.

He described the situation as “a red flag”, noting that Lagos, alongside states such as Rivers and Benue, has consistently recorded high HIV numbers over the years.

Factors driving the trend

Mr Saheed attributed the trend to a combination of reduced international donor funding, economic hardship and challenges accessing HIV treatment.

He said funding cuts by international partners, coupled with Nigeria’s economic situation, may have contributed to disruptions in HIV services.

“If people cannot afford to feed themselves, how can they afford transportation to the hospital?” he said.

He urged the federal government to increase domestic funding for HIV programmes, invest in local production of antiretroviral medicines, strengthen public awareness campaigns and decentralise HIV treatment to primary healthcare centres and private facilities.

Mr Saheed also called for intensified public education on HIV prevention, including condom use, abstinence and early testing, particularly among young people and women, whom he identified among the groups most affected.

PREMIUM TIMES review

A review of the 2025 Final State of the Health of the Nation Report, produced by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, confirmed that Lagos recorded 10,430 new HIV cases in 2025, down from 14,622 in 2024.

The report also shows that Lagos recorded the highest number of reported new HIV cases among the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Further review of the data shows that, aside from Lagos, the highest figures were recorded in Rivers (6,287), Kano (6,010), Akwa Ibom (5,413), Taraba (4,854), Benue (4,804), Anambra (4,468) and Kaduna (3,699).

Other states

The report revealed that other states recorded comparatively lower figures, including Adamawa (2,989), Bauchi (2,736), FCT (2,764), Sokoto (2,592), Abia (2,546), Cross River (2,545), Imo (2,539), Delta (2,469), Nasarawa (2,410), Borno (2,311), Zamfara (2,134), Ogun (2,107), Plateau (2,084), Niger (2,020), Ebonyi (2,015), Oyo (1,910), Jigawa (1,776), Kogi (1,752), Ondo (1,622), Edo (1,619), Kebbi (1,572), Katsina (1,541), Yobe (1,483), Enugu (1,479), Kwara (1,371), Osun (1,093), Gombe (1,083), Bayelsa (982) and Ekiti (462).

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The report also shows that Ekiti recorded the lowest figure nationwide, followed by Bayelsa, Gombe, Osun, Kwara, Enugu and Yobe, while Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Akwa Ibom, Taraba and Benue recorded the highest numbers.

NACA’s earlier clarification

In April, NACA cautioned against interpreting similar state-by-state HIV figures as representing the actual burden of the disease, saying they had been taken out of context.

The agency explained that the figures reflected HIV positivity from routine testing conducted in health facilities and should not be used to estimate HIV prevalence or incidence or rank states by disease burden. It said such data are influenced by factors including population size, testing coverage and reporting practices.

NACA also warned that HIV data should only be generated, interpreted, and disseminated by authorised government health institutions, in line with established protocols, to avoid misleading the public.