Ebola causes symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, and is dangerous due to high mortality from viral infections. Ebola’s new remedy is said to be highly effective in experiments and is helpful in treatment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Ebola is prevalent.
In July, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency (PHEIC) of international concern over the Ebola outbreak in Congo, Central Africa. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ebola infection has been spreading since August last year, and it is said that more than 2,000 people have already been infected and more than 1,800 people have died.
Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, doctors and research teams are conducting clinical trials of the new Ebola drug in cooperation with the WHO and the National Institutes of Health. In the clinical trial, data such as survival rate were obtained from four treatment centers located in eastern Congo, where Ebola infection is severe, from November 2018, administering various types of treatments to patients.
In addition to the two existing Ebola treatments (Zmapp, remdesivir), the drugs used in clinical trials are two new drugs, such as REGN-EB3 developed by REGN (Regeneron Pharmaceuticals) for comparison, and mAb114 developed by the National Institute of Allergic Infections.
According to experimental data administered to 681 patients, the mortality rate among patients receiving Zmapp, a conventional treatment, was 49% and remdesivir was 53%. This is a significant improvement in the mortality rate of untreated patients by 75%. However, the mortality rate of patients treated with REGN-EB3 was 29% and mAb114 was 34%. It was confirmed that the two new drugs showed higher therapeutic effects than the existing treatments.
In addition, the amount of virus in the body was small, and the mortality rate of REGN-EB3 was 6% and that of mAb114 was 11% at a short stage after infection. Originally, a clinical trial was planned for 725 patients, but it is said that patients will be treated with two new drugs while confirming the sufficient effects of these new drugs.
Ebola is originally an infection with a high mortality rate, but recently, the mortality rate is higher if the infected person is not treated. Experts said that it is possible to obtain a cure for a disease that could not be cured until not long ago, and that it could increase the willingness of Ebola patients to survive and it could be a motivation for treatment. Technological advances like this could save thousands of lives. Related information can be found here .