Deadly viral infection, Ebola may soon be a "preventable and treatable" disease after a trial of two drugs showed significantly improved survival rates. It was established that four (4) drugs were tried on patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the virus has been prevalent.
Health officials from the DRC revealed that the drugs will be used to treat all patients with the disease in DRC. In the meanwhile, two people cured of Ebola using the experimental drugs were released from a treatment centre in Goma, eastern DRC, and reunited with their families.
The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which co-sponsored the trial, said the results are "very good news" for the fight against Ebola.The drugs, named REGN-EB3 and mAb114, work by attacking the Ebola virus with antibodies, neutralizing its impact on human cells.
They are the "first drugs that, in a scientifically sound study, have clearly shown a significant diminution in mortality" for Ebola patients, said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of NIAID.
The drug mAb114 was developed using antibodies harvested from survivors of Ebola while REGN-EB3 comes from antibodies generated within mice infected with the disease.
Recall that the deadly virus has so far killed more than 1,800 people in DR Congo in the past years. The disease even though manifested in some countries like Nigeria, Liberia and others but was totally eradicated. The only country battling with the ravaging virus is Congo DCR. With this development, the pandemic will soon become history.
