Pharmacology · Class
Ebola monoclonal antibodies !
Antibodies against the Ebola virus glycoprotein. WHO strongly recommends them for Ebola virus disease; they do not cover Sudan or Bundibugyo virus.
Updated 2026-11-01
What they are
Human monoclonal antibodies for Ebola virus disease (caused by Zaire ebolavirus). In the randomized PALM trial during the 2018–2020 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ansuvimab and the three-antibody combination atoltivimab-maftivimab-odesivimab improved survival compared with the other treatments tested, and WHO now strongly recommends either one. They have no proven effect on Sudan or Bundibugyo virus disease. Early supportive care (fluids, treatment of symptoms and co-infections) still matters.
Mechanism of action
The antibodies bind the glycoprotein on the surface of the virus, which it uses to attach to cells and fuse with their membranes. Ansuvimab blocks the binding of the glycoprotein to the host receptor NPC1; in the three-antibody combination, some antibodies neutralize the virus and others mark infected cells, which display the glycoprotein, for destruction by immune cells.
Target: Ebola virus surface glycoprotein (GP)
Drugs in this class
- AnsuvimabA single human monoclonal antibody against the Ebola virus glycoprotein. WHO strongly recommends it for Ebola virus…Zaire ebolavirus surface glycoprotein (GP)
- Atoltivimab + maftivimab + odesivimabA three-antibody combination against the Ebola virus glycoprotein. WHO strongly recommends it for Ebola virus disease.Zaire ebolavirus surface glycoprotein (GP)
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which viral protein do the Ebola monoclonal antibodies bind?
The surface glycoprotein that the virus uses to attach to and fuse with host cells.
Do these antibodies treat Sudan virus disease?
No. They were developed and tested against Zaire ebolavirus; there are no approved treatments for Sudan or Bundibugyo virus disease.
Which trial showed their benefit?
The randomized PALM trial during the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Educational content on how drugs work; not a prescribing guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.
Sources: Ebola disease (World Health Organization, 2025); Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 14th ed., ch. 62 (McGraw Hill, 2023); ATCDDD - ATC/DDD Index (WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, 2026).
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.