Early results from an Ebola trial using Avigan (favipiravir), the experimental drug, showed that it was somewhat effective at saving lives if given early in the illness, but not later, as reported on Monday.
The antiviral treatment is being developed by the Japanese company Toyama Chemical, and has been shown safe and effective against some other viruses including influenza, West Nile and yellow fever.
Ebola Virus Disease
Ebola is caused by a virus via direct contact with body fluids or infected blood. Scientists have identified five types of Ebola or Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus.
Advertisement
An ongoing clinical trial in Guinea is testing the drug's use in patients with the Ebola virus, which causes severe vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes fatal bleeding.
Results from only 80 people are available so far, but they show that among those who received the drug early in their illness, 15 percent died of Ebola.
![World Support for Ebola: US$35 Million Funding from King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia]( "World Support for Ebola: US$35 Million Funding from King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia")
Zaire ebolavirus is commonly known as Ebola. It was previously known as ebola haemorrhagic fever and is a deadly human illness.
However, among those who received it when their viral load was high, 93 percent died, according to preliminary results presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle, Washington.
There are no drugs on the market to treat Ebola, which has ravaged West Africa and killed 9,177 of the nearly 23,000 people infected since late 2013.
The typical death rate from Ebola in the latest outbreak has ranged from 53 to 60 percent, according to the World Health Organization.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) is among those helping to carry out the trial.
"MSF is pleased to see that favipiravir seems to have a positive effect for certain patients," said the group's medical director Bertrand Draguez.
"But it also seems that the most vulnerable patients, the people that are most likely to die from the disease, don't benefit at all from favipiravir," he added, cautioning that the drug should not yet be used outside trials.
The trial is being led by INSERM, the French Institute of Health and Medical Research, and is being funded by the European Commission.
Source: AFP
World Support for Ebola: US$35 Million Funding from King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia
Zaire ebolavirus is commonly known as Ebola. It was previously known as ebola haemorrhagic fever and is a deadly human illness.
Advertisement
However, among those who received it when their viral load was high, 93 percent died, according to preliminary results presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle, Washington.
There are no drugs on the market to treat Ebola, which has ravaged West Africa and killed 9,177 of the nearly 23,000 people infected since late 2013.
The typical death rate from Ebola in the latest outbreak has ranged from 53 to 60 percent, according to the World Health Organization.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) is among those helping to carry out the trial.
"MSF is pleased to see that favipiravir seems to have a positive effect for certain patients," said the group's medical director Bertrand Draguez.
"But it also seems that the most vulnerable patients, the people that are most likely to die from the disease, don't benefit at all from favipiravir," he added, cautioning that the drug should not yet be used outside trials.
The trial is being led by INSERM, the French Institute of Health and Medical Research, and is being funded by the European Commission.
Source: AFP
Quiz on Ebola
Why is the deadly Ebola virus outbreak making the health experts hit the panic button? Find out from this quiz.
Advertisement
Researchers Warn Against Complacency on Ebola Vaccines
A team of international scientists called for new Ebola vaccines to be made available in months rather than years and warned against complacency after a reduction in infection rates.
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Research News
Link between advanced paternal age and higher risks for reproductive and offspring medical problems has been discovered.
Can gene astrology predict disease risk? Yes, your genes can determine your future health and disease risk.
Injury to the white matter explains why football players are at an increased risk for cognitive and behavioral problems later in life.
Located at the South Col, the rocky area between Mount Everest and Lhotse serves as the final campsite for climbers as well as a frozen legacy of hardy microbes.
The new finding is found to be valuable for screening specific medications and treatment against Giardia and other protozoan parasites.
