Fighting Ebola with Experimental Treatments

A panel of experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the use of experimental drugs and vaccines ethical in the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Thought to be the worst outbreak in Ebola history with over 2,250 suspected deaths since the start of 2014, there is currently no licensed vaccine or treatment available, with hospitals administering antibiotics and intravenous fluids to patients to fight infection and dehydration. Labmate has researched how the death rates compare with other deadly infectious diseases - despite the shocking headlines about Ebola, you may be surprised by the results. There are a number of treatments in development which have produced positive results, however none have been licensed to date.

Past Outbreaks

First erupting onto the scene in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Southern Sudan, the Ebola virus has since struck a number of African nations, killing hundreds. During one such outbreak in 1995, eight patients were treated with blood transfusions, seven of whom survived.

The blood was donated by Ebola survivors, where the ‘serum’ - the part of the blood which contains antibodies - could be used to target the virus in other patients. While antibiotics and intravenous fluids are now the preferred method of treatment, the WHO has announced that serum could be used to treat patients during the current outbreak if safe procedures are developed.

Experimental Treatments

Preliminary trials of several new treatments are being conducted by Scientists worldwide.

The experimental treatment Zmapp developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. has recently been used to treat two US doctors and a Spanish priest who had contracted Ebola. A mixture of three monoclonal antibodies (antibodies made by identical immune cells), the drug attacks proteins on the surface of the Ebola virus. While the doctors reportedly recovered, the priest did not survive the virus, and experts claim it is too early to determine Zmapp’s effectiveness and safety to humans.

TKM-Ebola developed by Canadian Tekmira Pharmaceuticals has been used in clinical trials on monkeys and human volunteers. Targeting strands of genetic material within the virus (RNA), TKM-Ebola is designed to interfere and prevent the virus from producing proteins. Trials have been put on hold by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), however, in order to ascertain additional safety information.

In a similar vein, US-based Sarepta Therapeutics are also developing treatments designed to increase or decrease the production of protein in a virus. While they have been trialled on healthy human volunteers, they have yet been used to treat human patients.

The Future of Ebola

With a number of treatments in development and the FDA fast-tracking a promising vaccine, the WHO are hopeful that there will be licensed vaccines available by 2016. While pharmaceutical companies are unlikely to fund a vaccine which will be used only occasionally in small numbers, experts are hopeful for international agency investment to support new treatments and make Ebola a disease of the past.