First patients enrolled in record-breaking Ebola treatment trial in DRC

The first patients have been enrolled in what researchers are calling the largest and fastest-launched Ebola treatment trial in history, a landmark moment in the effort to turn a disease that once killed up to 90 percent of those it infected into a survivable condition.

The trial, taking place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is testing a new antiviral drug that was developed in less than eight weeks using artificial intelligence to screen millions of molecular compounds for activity against the Ebola virus. The speed of development, from genomic sequence to first-in-human dosing, shatters the previous record and offers a template for responding to future outbreaks of unknown pathogens.

The current outbreak, centred in the Equateur province, has infected more than 180 people and killed 67, a case fatality rate of approximately 37 percent. That is significantly lower than the 66 percent average for Ebola, a reflection of improved supportive care and the availability of existing treatments. But the new antiviral, if it works, could reduce mortality to single digits and transform Ebola from a humanitarian emergency into a manageable disease.

The trial is being conducted by a coalition that includes the DRC's national biomedical research institute, the World Health Organization, and several pharmaceutical companies that have agreed to provide the drug at cost during the outbreak period. The coalition has also committed to building local manufacturing capacity so that African countries are not dependent on imported drugs during future outbreaks.

The WHO's director-general described the trial as a model for how the world should respond to epidemic threats. "This is what pandemic preparedness looks like in practice," he said. "Speed, equity, and a commitment to leaving behind more than we took."