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A
clinical drug trial is now under way at a major health centre in Liberia’s
capital to determine if a medication already used to treat other viruses could
help those suffering from Ebola.
The
drug called brincidofovir is being tested in patients at the ELWA 3 centre
operated by Doctors Without Borders, the group said, according to Al Jazeera.
Ebola,
which has no licensed treatment or cure, has killed more than 8,153 people in
West Africa over the past year.
Liberia
has seen the highest fatality rate with 3,471 deaths, followed by Sierra Leone
and Guinea.
“It
must be stressed that it is not a miracle cure and it is still not known
whether it will help patients survive the virus,” the medical charity said in
announcing the start of the drug trial this week.
Brincidofovir
is an antiviral drug being developed to treat several types of viruses,
including one that infects patients undergoing bone marrow transplants.
All
new patients confirmed to be Ebola positive by blood test at the ELWA 3 centre
will be informed about the trial and can decide whether they would like to
participate, the group said.
Those
who opt out will receive the usual supportive care.
Brincidofovir
is not the only drug being considered for use in treating Ebola.
Another
drug, ZMapp, healed 18 monkeys infected with the deadly virus in one recent
study.
Experimental
doses of ZMapp also were given to several humans who suffered from Ebola before
the manufacturer’s supply ran out months ago.
It
was not known whether the doses of ZMapp helped the patients who recovered.
A
third drug, the TKM-Ebola injection, by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals of Canada,
works by blocking genes that help the Ebola virus reproduce and spread.
Also
on Tuesday, US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson said that it has
started human trials on a possible vaccine against the virus.
The
Phase I testing is being carried out by the Oxford Vaccine Group at Britain’s
Oxford University.
The
tests, involving 72 healthy volunteers, will examine how their bodies tolerate
the potential vaccine.
If necessary, Johnson &
Johnson said it can make five million doses within 12 to 18 months.
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