Island Pharmaceuticals (ASX: ILA) Boosts Galidesivir Supply as Ebola Surges

Island Pharmaceuticals has commissioned a second manufacturing campaign for GMP-grade Galidesivir with PI Health Sciences.

The additional production should lift total available inventory to about 700–800 treatment courses in the fourth quarter of calendar 2026. That estimate includes supply from the company’s earlier manufacturing campaign.

Island did not disclose the campaign’s cost or any associated procurement commitments.

Building Supply Before Deployment

The expanded inventory is intended to support outbreak response, compassionate use and engagement with government and biodefence agencies. It also reduces the need to begin another manufacturing cycle whenever a potential requirement emerges.

That distinction matters during infectious-disease emergencies, where drug availability can determine whether an investigational treatment can be deployed quickly. Inventory also gives Island capacity to support development work while pursuing potential procurement and stockpiling opportunities.

CEO and Managing Director David Foster said: “Before the end of CY26, we expect to have around 700–800 treatment courses available.”

Outbreak Raises the Urgency

The manufacturing decision comes as the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak spreads across the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries, including Uganda.

As of August 18, 2026, the outbreak had recorded 5,208 confirmed cases and 2,476 deaths, according to Island’s announcement. That equates to a case-fatality rate of 47.5%.

The company said the outbreak was spreading five times faster than previous outbreaks at the same stage. The Bundibugyo strain currently has no approved therapeutic treatment or vaccine.

Island expects Galidesivir to be deployed in Uganda during calendar 2026 under the World Health Organization-recognised MEURI framework. The framework permits monitored emergency use of unregistered investigational interventions when no approved treatment exists.

Deployment could generate prospective human efficacy, safety and virological data during an active outbreak. However, the announcement did not specify a treatment start date or expected patient numbers.

Human Data Meets the Animal Rule

The Uganda program complements Island’s pathway for potential Marburg approval under the US Food and Drug Administration’s Animal Rule. That pathway allows efficacy to be established through controlled animal studies when human trials are not feasible or ethical.

Island reported that Galidesivir produced 100% survival in an Ebola Zaire non-human primate model when treatment began 48 hours after infection. Survival was 67% when dosing started after 72 hours or was administered without a loading dose.

The company also reported 94% survival in a Marburg primate model when treatment started 48 hours after infection. All untreated control animals died in the cited Ebola and Marburg studies.

These findings remain separate from the prospective human data Island hopes to collect in Uganda.

What Comes Next

Manufacturing completion and potential Uganda deployment are the immediate operational steps. Island also plans pivotal Marburg Angola studies, followed by preparation for a New Drug Application beginning in the third quarter of calendar 2027.

Galidesivir is one of Island’s two development assets. The clinical-stage antiviral has shown activity across more than 20 RNA viruses, including Ebola, Marburg, MERS, Zika and yellow fever.

For now, the new campaign expands deployable supply. It does not represent a sales contract, regulatory approval or government procurement order.