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 Ten experimental treatments - eight drugs and "two promising
candidate vaccines" - have shown potential against the virus but
remain under investigation, the WHO said in a document distributed
at the start of a two-day meeting in Geneva.
They include the antibody drug ZMapp made by U.S.-based Mapp
Biopharmaceutical Inc., which has been given to several Ebola
patients for "compassionate care" but whose clinical effectiveness
is "still uncertain", it said. "Efforts to scale up production (of
ZMapp) may yield increased supplies of potentially a few hundred
doses by the end of 2014."
Evidence of the effectiveness of the medicines and vaccines is
"suggestive but not based on solid scientific data from clinical
trials," the WHO said. Existing supplies of all experimental
medicines are extremely limited or exhausted.
The virulent disease, which has killed at least 1,900 people in West
Africa since March, could affect 20,000 by the time it is contained
in the next six to nine months, the WHO has said.
"Accelerating the development of experimental/not approved Ebola
Virus Disease therapies and vaccines require a concerted effort by
product developers and regulatory agencies, in cooperation with the
WHO," the WHO paper said.
Decisions on which products go into accelerated development should
be transparent and involve the West African countries affected by
the epidemic, it said.
"While there is an urgent need for product to be used on a
compassionate basis, the ultimate goal should be product approval so
that countries affected by Ebola Virus Disease have products which
have been demonstrated safe and effective at their disposal."
"THE HOPE OF WHAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE"
Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO assistant director-general who is chairing
the closed-door talks attended by more than 150 experts, said the
meeting would focus on developing the most promising drugs in the
quickest possible time.
"Developed in terms of getting them to registration and developed in
terms of putting them in the treatment center as much as possible in
order to make a difference in the lives of people," she said.
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The WHO paper said that while supplies of experimental drugs are
limited "the prospects of having augmented supplies of vaccines
quickly look slightly better".
Human safety trials are due to begin this week on a vaccine from
GlaxoSmithKline Plc and later this year on one from NewLink Genetics
Corp. Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday that clinical trials of its
vaccine would commence in early 2015, accelerated from late 2015 or
early 2016.
NewLink Genetics Corp NLNK.O said the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) allowed the Iowa-based company to start testing
an experimental Ebola vaccine in humans.
NewLink founder Charles Link told Reuters on the sidelines of the
Geneva talks on Thursday: "The clinical trials do take some time.
Everybody is trying as hard and furiously as possible to move those
trials forward as rapidly as possible with the regulations,
scientific and ethical constraints.
A treatment by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals of Vancouver, Canada, that
targets two viral genes to stop the virus from replicating, may be
available in limited supplies, the WHO said. "There is potential for
the production of 900 courses by early 2015."
(Additional reporting by Antony Paone in Geneva; Editing by Dominic
Evans)
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