Experimental Drug Stops Ebola-like Infection

sciencehabit writes: An experimental treatment against an Ebola-related virus can protect monkeys even when given up to 3 days after infection, the point at which they show the first signs of disease. The virus, known as Marburg, causes severe hemorrhagic fever—vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding. In one outbreak, it killed 90% of people it infected. There are no proven treatments or vaccines against it. The new results raise hopes that the treatment might be useful for human patients even if they don't receive it until well after infection. The company that makes the compound, Tekmira, based in Burnaby, Canada, has started a human safety trial of a related drug to treat Ebola virus disease, and researchers hope that it, too, might offer protection even after a patient has started to feel ill. In other Ebola news, the two American aid workers who were infected with the virus while in Liberia have now recovered and been released from the hospital.

Comments

So? Old news.

[Andy Dodd]

Success in a test tube and/or monkeys doesn't mean much as far as hope for a drug viable for humans. After all, the trials for Tekmira's drug are on hold by the FDA due to safety concerns ( http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ho... ).

Also, Tekmira is NOT the company that manufactured the drug used to treat Dr. Brantly and his coworker - that was Mapp Pharmaceutical's ZMapp

Re:So? Old news.

[i kan reed]

Shhh. It's a recently completed study and it's "topical". That's better than most science news manages.

Re:So? Old news.

[laie_techie]

Success in a test tube and/or monkeys doesn't mean much as far as hope for a drug viable for humans. After all, the trials for Tekmira's drug are on hold by the FDA due to safety concerns ( http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ho... ).

I don't know how to ethically do human trials for this. With monkeys, they infect them with the virus, then give the vaccine and see if the animal develops symptoms. Would we knowingly and purposefully infect humans with Ebola? Or are there enough people out there who have been exposed within three days and are as of yet symptom free? The particular strain of Ebola they tested with has a mortality rate of 90% - too high to responsibly give someone.

The Marburg virus is not Ebola

[angel'o'sphere]

Strictly speaking it is a complete different virus that is only based on similar construction principles (Filoviridae) *and* unfortunately has similar symptoms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E...

Here's What Bugs Me

[Anonymous Coward]

I saw the news conference of the doctor who was cured of Ebola and it's a great example of how religion twists the mind. The guy stood there in front of the cameras and spent ages thanking God for his recovery, then gave a long description of how people who had prayed for him also helped. Right at the end the doctors who had done the ACTUAL WORK keeping him alive got a passing mention.

Crazy.

Re:Here's What Bugs Me

[Anonymous Coward]

I too am a little incensed when I hear people thank God for saving them from their illness. Not out of any particular dislike for religion, but for the fact that if you believe God is responsible you ought to accept that He is also the guilty party when you were infected in the first place. A little cognitive dissonance goes a long way.

Re:Here's What Bugs Me

[Issarlk]

It can be easilly put to the test. Among the next missionaries would catch ebola, 50% should refuse the ZMap treatment and get to be given an unique chance to show the world that god and prayer are what heal them. Surelly a true believer will be overjoyed by the idea, lots of people would be convinced and convert and be saved by our lord Jesus Christ.

So they are best qualified . . .

[wirehead_rick]

to go back to Africa and help fight the outbreak.

Since they are now immune and being health care professionals they are uniquely qualified to handle the treatment of Ebola patients without fear of dying from it.

Re:So they are best qualified . . .

[angel'o'sphere]

You don't get immune with the new treatments. They are not vaccines. They are "medicine". Just like Quinine was given against Malaria. (And strictly speaking: vaccines don't cure anyway ... giving an ordinary vaccine when you are already ill does not help, in fact it makes things worse)