Dr Monica Rull, Deputy Executive Director, MSF Access  

“As clinical trials for promising Bundibugyo Ebola Virus therapeutics move forward in the DRC, there is a window of opportunity to ensure that any effective tools are accessible to the people who need them most. Experience from past Ebola outbreaks has shown that scientific progress alone is not enough. Greater transparency and clear planning for financing, stockpiling, and the inclusion of children in development and access strategies are essential to prevent the same delays and inequities from being repeated.”  

“If access is considered only after efficacy is proven, future BDBV treatments access may once again be determined by non-transparent commercial decisions by pharmaceutical corporations and reactive last-minute measures. Funders, researchers and policymakers engaged in therapeutics clinical trials must act now to include the right access conditions in a transparent way.”