Promising Developments in Ebola Treatment: New Drug Reports 100% Survival Rate in Monkey Trials
In a groundbreaking development, researchers have made strides in the fight against Ebola and related hemorrhagic viruses, such as Marburg. The study, published in the prestigious journal Science Advances, focuses on an oral antiviral drug called Obeldesivir.
The drug, an oral version of the antiviral remdesivir, originally developed to treat COVID-19, has shown promising results in protecting nonhuman primates from deadly Ebola infections.
The research group, led by Dr. Marnix Van Loock, presented their findings in the journal Nature Communications. In the study, 100% of rhesus macaques given Obeldesivir survived their infection with a variant of Zaire ebolavirus, while 80% of cynomolgus macaques did as well.
The researchers believe that Obeldesivir can become a broadly applied weapon against deadly infections like Ebola and Marburg. The drug works by delaying the virus' ability to replicate and promoting the monkeys' adaptive, or antibody-based, immune response to it.
Interestingly, Obeldesivir has also shown potential effectiveness against Marburg, another deadly cousin of Ebola. This could be significant, as a recent outbreak of Marburg in Tanzania was ended, and Obeldesivir was found to potentially protect monkeys from this disease.
The new drug could be a more convenient weapon against Ebola and related viruses compared to the currently approved intravenous drugs. The convenience of an oral medication could make it more accessible in countries where these viruses are native, where public health infrastructure may be limited.
However, more research will be needed to validate the drug's potential against Ebola in humans. Ebola is a zoonotic disease, typically beginning when a person is exposed to infected animals, particularly African fruit bats. The disease can spread between people through close contact with bodily fluids, including blood and semen. Ebola initially presents with flu-like symptoms, but can rapidly progress and cause widespread organ damage and heavy internal bleeding.
Large-scale outbreaks of Ebola have occurred, such as the 2014 to 2016 West African outbreak that infected almost 30,000 people and killed over 11,000. Ebola and related hemorrhagic viruses continue to be a grave public health threat in the countries where they are natively found.
The current paragraph does not contain any new information about the vaccine supply or storage requirements of antibody-based treatments for Ebola. The researchers leading the study are from the University of Texas Medical Branch. The new study also found that Obeldesivir might be effective against Sudan virus, the second most commonly encountered species of Ebola.
While this is an exciting development, it is important to remember that more research is needed before Obeldesivir can be used in human treatments. However, the potential of this oral antiviral drug against deadly viruses like Ebola and Marburg offers hope for the future.
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