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Ebola:ExperimentaldrugZMappis100%effectiveinanimaltrials

ByJamesGallagherHealtheditor,BBCNewswebsite

TheonlyclinicaltrialdataontheexperimentalEboladrugZMappshowsitis100%effectiveinmonkeystudies,eveninlaterstagesoftheinfection.

Theresearchers,?publishingtheirdatainNature,saiditwasaveryimportantstepforward.

Yetthelimitedsupplieswillnothelpthe20,000peoplepredictedtobeinfectedduringtheoutbreakinWestAfrica.

Andtwooutofsevenpeoplegiventhedrug,havelaterdiedfromthedisease.

ZMapphasbeendubbedthesecretserumasitisstillintheexperimentalstagesofdrugdevelopmentwith,untilnow,nopublicdataoneffectiveness.

DoctorshaveturnedtoitasthereisnocureforEbola,whichhaskilledmorethan1,500peoplesinceitstartedinGuinea.

Cocktail

Researchershavebeeninvestigatingdifferentcombinationsofantibodies,apartoftheimmunesystemwhichbindstoviruses,asatherapy.

Previouscombinationshaveshownsomeeffectivenessinanimalstudies.ZMappisthelatestcocktailandcontainsthreeantibodies.

Trialson18rhesusmacaquesinfectedwithEbolashowed100%survival.

Thisincludedanimalsgiventhedruguptofivedaysafterinfection.Forthemonkeysthiswouldbearelativelylatestageintheinfection,aroundthreedaysbeforeitbecomesfatal.

WilliamPooley,fromtheUK,hasbeengiventheZMappdrug

Scientistssaythisissignificantasprevioustherapiesneededtobegivenbeforesymptomsevenappeared.

Oneoftheresearchers,DrGaryKobingerfromthePublicHealthAgencyofCanada,saidthiswasahugestepupfrompreviousantibodycombinations.

Thelevelofimprovementwasbeyondmyownexpectation,Iwasquitesurprisedthatthebestcombinationwouldrescueanimalsasfarasdayfive,itwasfantasticnews.

Whatwasveryexceptionalisthatwecouldrescuesomeoftheanimalsthathadadvanceddisease.

Humanimplications?

However,thereisalwayscauti