The strain behind the active 2026 PHEIC. The pipeline is thinner
than for Zaire or Sudan, partly because Bundibugyo has caused only
three recognised outbreaks before 2026.
cAd3-BDBV (BDBV-specific candidate)
Pre-clinical vaccine
NIAID Vaccine Research Center · Targets BDBV
Mechanism. Chimpanzee adenovirus type 3 vector encoding the Bundibugyo virus glycoprotein. The platform mirrors cAd3-EBO Z (Zaire) and cAd3-EBO S (Sudan).
Status. Reported in pre-clinical animal studies. No human trials of a BDBV-specific cAd3 candidate are listed on ClinicalTrials.gov as of May 2026. Filovirus glycoprotein cross-reactivity may permit Phase 1 acceleration if WHO declares emergency-use scientific priority.
ChAdOx1 BDBV (Oxford monovalent candidate)
Pre-clinical vaccine
Oxford Vaccine Group + Serum Institute of India · Targets BDBV
Mechanism. Chimpanzee adenovirus (ChAdOx1) vector expressing the Bundibugyo virus glycoprotein. Same platform as the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine; designed as a monovalent BDBV-specific candidate.
Status. Announced 22 May 2026 in response to the DRC and Uganda PHEIC. Oxford is working with its own Clinical BioManufacturing Facility and the Serum Institute of India to rapidly produce and scale doses. No animal or human studies completed at the time of announcement; doses for clinical trials estimated 2-3 months out. A WHO expert consultation on 28 May 2026 endorsed this candidate for trial evaluation pending further animal data, advising a single-dose approach for contacts of cases and a two-dose approach for high-risk unexposed groups such as health workers. On 1 June 2026 CEPI committed up to US$8.6 million towards preclinical testing and preparation for Phase 1 trials. Generation of supportive preclinical data is being accelerated alongside dose production.
mRNA-BDBV (Moderna candidate)
Pre-clinical vaccine
Moderna · Targets BDBV
Mechanism. Lipid-nanoparticle-encapsulated messenger RNA encoding the Bundibugyo virus glycoprotein. Same mRNA platform validated during COVID-19, applied to a novel filovirus target.
Status. On 1 June 2026 CEPI committed up to US$50 million to accelerate this candidate through preclinical testing and Phase 1 clinical trials in response to the Bundibugyo PHEIC. No animal or human data specific to Bundibugyo virus has been published at the time of announcement. Investigational and not approved for any indication.
rVSV-BDBV (rVSV-based BDBV candidate)
Pre-clinical vaccine
IAVI (rVSV platform) · Targets BDBV
Mechanism. Recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus vector engineered to express the Bundibugyo glycoprotein. Same rVSV platform underlying Merck Ervebo (which targets Zaire only) and the WHO-prequalified Zaire vaccine.
Status. WHO has identified the single-dose IAVI rVSV-BDBV candidate as the most promising vaccine in development, though it is estimated to be seven to nine months from human efficacy trials. On 1 June 2026 CEPI committed up to US$3.2 million towards its development. No doses are currently available for clinical trials.
Obeldesivir (post-exposure prophylaxis trial)
Pre-clinical therapeutic
Gilead Sciences · Targets BDBV, EBOV, SUDV
Mechanism. Oral nucleotide analogue prodrug related to remdesivir, with broad pan-filovirus activity in pre-clinical models.
Status. At the WHO Virtual Ministerial Briefing of 25 May 2026, WHO announced it would evaluate obeldesivir as post-exposure prophylaxis in trials developed jointly with Africa CDC, in response to the Bundibugyo PHEIC. A WHO expert consultation on 28 May 2026 reaffirmed it as a priority candidate for post-exposure prophylaxis among contacts, while noting that operational difficulties with contact tracing in the affected areas complicate implementation. No Bundibugyo-specific human clinical data exists at the time of announcement; an oral route would simplify field deployment relative to existing monoclonal antibody products.
mAb114 + REGN-EB3 (cross-reactivity studies)
Pre-clinical therapeutic
NIAID + Regeneron + Ridgeback · Targets EBOV, BDBV
Mechanism. Monoclonal antibody products approved as Ebanga (mAb114, ansuvimab) and Inmazeb (REGN-EB3) for Zaire ebolavirus. Pre-clinical cross-reactivity work has examined activity against BDBV glycoprotein with mixed results.
Status. Neither product is approved for Bundibugyo. Cross-strain neutralisation has been observed in some in-vitro and animal studies; the regulatory and clinical path to expanded indication remains slow. Emergency-use protocols during a PHEIC could permit off-label evaluation under research authorisation.
MBP134 (pan-ebolavirus monoclonal antibody)
Phase 2 therapeutic
Mapp Biopharmaceutical and Adimab, with USAMRIID and academic partners · Targets EBOV, SUDV, BDBV
Mechanism. Two-antibody cocktail engineered for broad pan-ebolavirus neutralisation. Unlike Inmazeb and Ebanga, which target Zaire ebolavirus only, MBP134 has shown protection against Zaire, Sudan, and Bundibugyo viruses in non-human primate challenge studies.
Status. Now being evaluated in the PARTNERS trial (Platform Adaptive Randomised Trial for New and Repurposed Filovirus TreatmentS), the first clinical trial of treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease, which enrolled its first patient in Bunia on 2 July 2026. WHO-sponsored and coordinated by the Congolese INRB, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, and the University of Oxford, the trial randomises patients of any age with confirmed disease to standard care alone, standard care plus MBP134, standard care plus remdesivir, or both drugs plus standard care, with mortality at 28 days as the primary endpoint and a target of 700 to 1,000 participants over six months. A first-in-human Phase 1 trial had previously been conducted; no Bundibugyo-specific efficacy data exist in humans yet. Investigational and not approved for any indication.
