Ebola Treatments Show Promise: Popular Science

Preliminary data suggest two experimental treatments for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo are improving survival rates. The fatality rate for Ebola is 67 percent, and with the antibody treatments, risk of death fell to 10 percent, reports Nicole Wetsman. She explains how the World Health Organization developed a plan for ethical testing of treatments during such emergencies after the outbreak of Ebola in 2014. “The clinical trial compared three drugs to ZMapp, an experimental treatment that was introduced in the 2014 Ebola outbreak and seemed promising, but wasn’t proven to be effective due to limited data collection,” Wetsman reports. “An analysis of 499 patients found that two of the drugs – REGN-EB3 (developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals) and mAb114 (developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) – improved survival rates more than ZMapp and a fourth drug.” Early reports suggests the drugs are most effective when patients with low levels of virus in their blood are treated early. Researchers continue to monitor survivors for re-emergence of the virus and strive to build community trust. – YaleGlobal