USG Must Commit to a Rapid and Equitable Ebola Response
For Immediate Release: June 17, 2026
Contact: Cassidy Parshall, cassidy@uaem.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. — UAEM joined Public Citizen and nine other advocacy groups in sending a letter to Gary Disbrow, Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, urging BARDA and the U.S. government to ensure the rapid and equitable availability of investigational and approved medical countermeasures for the Ebola Bundibugyo response.
BARDA reportedly owns doses of MBP134, a potential pan-ebolavirus therapeutic manufactured by Mapp Biopharmaceutical, but has not confirmed how many doses they own or committed to providing their doses for clinical trials. As one of four candidates prioritized for clinical trials during the current outbreak, the letter calls on BARDA to coordinate with global health actors and make their doses of MBP134 available.
The letter also outlines the importance of embedding access assurances in publicly-funded research and development (R&D) contracts, protecting equitable access from the earliest point in the R&D pipeline.