Patients with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola have started receiving experimental treatments in a clinical trial that aims to improve care for the rare viral disease, which has killed more than 500 people in Congo.

The World Health Organization-sponsored trial will test Mapp Biopharmaceutical¡¯s monoclonal antibody cocktail MBP134 and Gilead Sciences¡¯s antiviral remdesivir alongside optimized supportive care in Congo¡¯s Ituri province, where the outbreak is concentrated.

Designed as an adaptive platform trial, it can continue across future Ebola outbreaks if the current epidemic ends before enough patients are enrolled to produce definitive results.