By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : September 05, 2026 7:45 am
The company's GeneXpert Dx test detects and identifies nucleic acids from Ebola viruses, including Bundibugyo, Zaire and Sudan strains
Cepheid’s GeneXpert Ebola assay has secured an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO) for detecting the Bundibugyo Ebola virus (BVD), making it the fourth diagnostic to receive the designation amid the ongoing outbreak in Central Africa.
The listing will enable healthcare providers and public health authorities in affected regions to access rapid molecular testing to identify suspected BVD infections and support outbreak containment.
The WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on May 17, 2026. As of August 31, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicentre of the outbreak, had reported 6,186 cases and 3,007 deaths.
Cepheid’s GeneXpert Dx test detects and identifies nucleic acids from Ebola viruses, including Bundibugyo, Zaire and Sudan strains, with results available in about an hour. It joins three other diagnostics on the WHO EUL list, including KH Medical’s RADIONE Ebola/Marburg detection kit.
“With an established footprint already serving communities across Central and East Africa, we are well positioned to support healthcare providers and public healthcare authorities with timely access to reliable diagnostic information,” said Connie Savor, Chief Medical Officer, Cepheid.
The WHO is also accelerating efforts to expand treatment and vaccine options for Bundibugyo Ebola. In July, WHO and international partners launched the PARTNERS trial, evaluating Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir (Veklury) and Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s investigational antibody therapy MBP134, both alone and in combination.
Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency’s Emergency Task Force is working with the African Medicines Agency on clinical development plans for potential BVD vaccine candidates. These include an rVSV-based vaccine using the ChAdOx1 modified adenovirus platform and an mRNA vaccine approach.
The University of Oxford is advancing the ChAdOx1 candidate, with a Phase I trial underway. Moderna also initiated a Phase I trial in August for its mRNA-1469 candidate, designed to prevent Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease using the company’s mRNA vaccine platform.