Home / Health / Africa CDC Urges $18M for Ebola Trial Funding
Africa CDC Urges $18M for Ebola Trial Funding
1 Jul
Summary
- Africa CDC requested $18 million for urgent Ebola treatment trials.
- Clinical trials for experimental Ebola treatments are set to begin this week.
- Funding delays could jeopardize efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued an urgent call for $18 million in funding on Tuesday to support experimental Ebola treatment trials in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This appeal comes as clinical trials are scheduled to begin this week in Bunia, Ituri province, to evaluate potential therapies against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.
The trials will test Gilead Sciences' oral drug obeldesivir for infection prevention, alongside remdesivir and an antibody from Mapp Biopharmaceuticals to reduce mortality among infected individuals. The Africa CDC emphasized that while funding for vaccine-related studies is largely secured, the therapeutic trials remain critically underfunded.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC, stressed the immediate need for financial support, stating, "We have the science. We now need the funding to use it." The agency is collaborating with international partners, including the World Health Organization, to accelerate the development of interventions against this newly emerging Ebola strain. The requested funds are vital for continuing the obeldesivir study and supporting contact tracing efforts.
