Africa CDC Faces $16 Million Gap in Ebola Treatment Trials

The current research effort in Bunia represents a high-stakes race against time. While funding for vaccine development is largely secured, the therapeutic trials—which include testing obeldesivir for post-exposure prevention and evaluating remdesivir and MBP134 for infected patients—are stalled. Without immediate capital, these studies cannot proceed at the necessary scale to protect vulnerable populations.

Africa CDC Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya emphasized that the scientific infrastructure is ready, but the financial deficit threatens to derail progress. Beyond the $16 million needed for clinical studies, the agency requires up to $3 million to bolster the contact tracing operations that underpin the research. Africa CDC is now calling on international donors, private firms, and multilateral banks to bridge this gap within days, framing the investment as a essential step toward strengthening the continent's long-term pandemic response capabilities.