Africa CDC Seeks $18 Million in Urgent Funding for Ebola Treatment Trials in Democratic Republic of Congo

On June 30, 2026, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention appealed for $18 million in urgent funding to support clinical trials of experimental Ebola treatments in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The trials, set to begin in Bunia, target the rare Bundibugyo strain, which currently has no licensed vaccine or therapy. While vaccine research is funded, a $18 million shortfall threatens therapeutic trials evaluating drugs like obeldesivir and remdesivir.

Africa CDC funding appeal for Ebola trials

• ▪The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention requested $16 million of the funding within days for an obeldesivir study and $2 million to $3 million for contact tracing
• ▪The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention requested $18 million in urgent funding on June 30, 2026, to support experimental Ebola treatment trials in the Democratic Republic of Congo
• ▪Of the $26 million required for the Ebola therapeutics trials, $10 million has been secured, leaving an $18 million funding shortfall

Ebola clinical trial therapeutics and vaccines

• ▪The clinical trials in Bunia are evaluating remdesivir and Mapp Biopharmaceuticals' antibody MBP134 to reduce mortality among patients infected with Ebola
• ▪Funding for Bundibugyo-specific vaccine studies is largely in place, but the therapeutic trials for the Ebola outbreak remain underfunded
• ▪Clinical trials starting in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, are testing Gilead Sciences' oral drug obeldesivir to prevent Ebola infection in exposed individuals

Ebola outbreak context in Democratic Republic of Congo

• ▪The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is collaborating with international partners, including the World Health Organization, to mobilize scientific responses against the emerging Ebola strain
• ▪The clinical trials in Bunia target the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no licensed vaccine or therapy