Gilead Sciences Donates More Than 2,000 Vials of Remdesivir to Support Uganda’s Ebola Bundibugyo Outbreak Response
Gilead Sciences has announced the donation of more than 2,000 vials of its intravenous antiviral therapy, remdesivir, to the Republic of Uganda as part of ongoing efforts to support the response to the current outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD). The contribution represents a significant step in strengthening the availability of potential treatment options as health authorities and international organizations work to contain the outbreak and protect affected communities.
The donation is part of a broader commitment by Gilead to support global public health responses to emerging infectious disease threats. In addition to the initial shipment, the company is preparing further supplies and coordinating with governments, healthcare organizations, and international partners to support outbreak management efforts across the region.
The announcement comes as countries in East and Central Africa intensify surveillance, diagnostic, treatment, and containment activities aimed at preventing further spread of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus.
Supporting Urgent Public Health Needs
According to Gilead, the company is drawing on decades of experience responding to serious infectious disease outbreaks to assist health authorities during the current emergency.
Dr. Anu Osinusi, Vice President of Clinical Development for Virology at Gilead Sciences, emphasized the importance of acting quickly when public health crises emerge.
She noted that global health emergencies can have devastating consequences for patients, families, healthcare workers, and communities. As a result, organizations with expertise in infectious diseases have an important role to play in supporting response efforts and helping ensure that potentially beneficial medical interventions are available when needed.
Osinusi stated that Gilead’s teams are working closely with international partners and public health stakeholders to contribute resources and scientific expertise that may assist in addressing the outbreak.
The company’s involvement reflects its long-standing focus on antiviral research and its history of supporting responses to infectious disease emergencies around the world.
Remdesivir to Be Used Under Emergency Frameworks
The donated remdesivir is being supplied to Uganda through established emergency access mechanisms designed to facilitate the use of investigational or unapproved therapies during public health crises.
Specifically, the antiviral treatment will be made available under compassionate use programs and through the Monitored Emergency Use of Unregistered and Investigational Interventions (MEURI) framework.
The MEURI approach, supported by international health authorities, provides a structured process for making investigational medical products available during outbreaks when no approved treatment options exist or when additional therapeutic alternatives are needed.
These frameworks enable healthcare providers to administer potentially beneficial therapies while collecting important safety and clinical outcome data that may inform future treatment strategies.
The use of remdesivir under these programs reflects ongoing efforts to evaluate its potential role in treating Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease.
Expanding Support Beyond Uganda
While the immediate donation is directed toward Uganda, Gilead indicated that its support efforts extend beyond a single country.
The company is preparing to respond to requests from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization, and other regional and international partners involved in outbreak response activities.
These efforts include preparing additional supplies of remdesivir as well as obeldesivir, an investigational oral antiviral therapy currently under development.
By working with governments, healthcare institutions, and global health organizations, Gilead aims to support a coordinated regional response capable of addressing the broader public health threat posed by the outbreak.
The company also noted that it intends to support several planned clinical studies designed to generate additional scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of these antiviral therapies in Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease.
Such studies are expected to play an important role in determining the potential value of antiviral treatment strategies for future outbreaks.
Continuing a Long History of Outbreak Response
The current initiative builds on more than a decade of involvement by Gilead in efforts to address filovirus outbreaks across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Filoviruses are a family of viruses that include Ebola viruses and Marburg virus, both of which can cause severe and often life-threatening hemorrhagic fever illnesses.
Over the years, Gilead has supplied remdesivir during multiple outbreak situations for emergency use, compassionate use programs, and investigational clinical trials.
These contributions have been part of broader international efforts involving governments, public health agencies, academic researchers, humanitarian organizations, and pharmaceutical companies working together to respond to emerging disease threats.
The company’s continued participation reflects a commitment to rapid mobilization during public health emergencies and a recognition of the challenges faced by countries confronting highly infectious diseases.
Understanding Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease
The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, one of several species capable of causing Ebola virus disease.
First identified in Uganda in 2007, the Bundibugyo virus is distinct from the Zaire Ebola virus species that has been responsible for several of the largest Ebola outbreaks in history.
Like other forms of Ebola virus disease, Bundibugyo virus infection can cause severe illness characterized by fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, and, in some cases, hemorrhagic complications.
The disease can spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, contaminated materials, or infected individuals, making rapid identification, isolation, and treatment critical components of outbreak control.
Public health authorities rely on a combination of surveillance, diagnostic testing, contact tracing, infection prevention measures, community engagement, and clinical care to limit transmission and protect populations at risk.
The Potential Role of Antiviral Therapies
While supportive care remains a cornerstone of Ebola treatment, researchers have increasingly explored antiviral therapies as potential tools for improving patient outcomes.
Remdesivir is a broad-spectrum antiviral agent originally developed to target RNA viruses. It gained global recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic after becoming one of the first antiviral treatments authorized for use against SARS-CoV-2.
Prior to its use in COVID-19, remdesivir had been investigated for activity against a variety of viral pathogens, including filoviruses such as Ebola.
Laboratory and preclinical studies have demonstrated promising antiviral activity against multiple members of the filovirus family, generating interest in its potential application during Ebola outbreaks.
However, despite encouraging preclinical findings, remdesivir has not been approved anywhere in the world specifically for the treatment of filovirus diseases.
Need for Additional Clinical Evidence
Gilead emphasized that important questions remain regarding the use of remdesivir in Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease.
Although preclinical research has shown activity against various filoviruses, the safety and effectiveness of remdesivir for treating the Bundibugyo strain have not yet been fully established.
As a result, the therapy continues to be evaluated through ongoing research efforts designed to generate the evidence needed to assess its potential benefits and risks.
The planned clinical studies supported by Gilead and its partners are expected to contribute valuable information regarding treatment outcomes, safety profiles, dosing approaches, and overall effectiveness in patients affected by the current outbreak.
These investigations may also help inform future preparedness strategies for responding to similar public health emergencies.
Collaboration at the Center of the Response
Global responses to infectious disease outbreaks often depend on close collaboration among governments, healthcare providers, research institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the biopharmaceutical industry.
Gilead’s donation of remdesivir highlights the role that private-sector organizations can play in supporting emergency response efforts by contributing therapies, scientific expertise, manufacturing capabilities, and logistical resources.
By working alongside Ugandan health authorities, international organizations, and regional partners, the company aims to help strengthen treatment capacity while supporting broader efforts to contain the outbreak.
As Uganda and neighboring countries continue efforts to manage the Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak, access to diagnostics, supportive care, investigational therapies, and clinical research will remain important components of the public health response.
Gilead’s donation of more than 2,000 vials of remdesivir represents one element of a larger international effort focused on limiting transmission, improving patient care, and generating scientific evidence that may guide future treatment strategies.
While remdesivir remains investigational for Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease, the company’s ongoing support reflects its broader commitment to addressing emerging infectious diseases and responding rapidly when urgent global health challenges arise. Through continued collaboration with governments, the World Health Organization, and other stakeholders, Gilead hopes to contribute to efforts aimed at protecting communities and advancing knowledge about potential therapies for this serious disease.
About Remdesivir
Remdesivir is a nucleotide analog prodrug invented and developed by Gilead, building on more than a decade of the company’s antiviral research. Remdesivir has broad-spectrum antiviral activity both in vitro and in animal models against multiple viral pathogens, including Marburg, Ebola, SARS, MERS and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Remdesivir has been approved as a COVID-19 treatment in approximately 50 countries worldwide. To date, remdesivir has been made available to more than 14.5 million patients around the world, including more than 8.1 million people in middle- and low-income countries through Gilead’s voluntary licensing program.
The clinical efficacy of remdesivir for BVD remains to be established. Remdesivir is currently not approved in any country for the treatment of BVD. This emergency use donation is based on the preclinical data for Ebola virus together with extensive clinical safety data from the use of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19.
For more information about Gilead’s commitment to global health, visit Gilead.com.
About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19, cancer and inflammation.
In 2025, Gilead announced a planned $32 billion investment to further strengthen its U.S. footprint to power the next era of discovery, job creation and public health preparedness – while continuing to invest globally to ensure patients everywhere benefit from its scientific innovation. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, Calif.
