Seven best hopes for a drug to fight Ebola
Dr. Stephen Shrewsbury, Chief Medical Officer at a leading biotech firm discusses the seven drugs with the best chances of success against Ebola.
1.) The Livestock Vaccine (VSV-EBOV)
This vaccine uses a virus found in livestock, modified to include part of the gene from the Ebola virus. It's Canadian, but licensed to NewLink Genetics of Iowa, which will have up to 12 million doses of the vaccine ready by April. Human testing began in October. "Due to the sheer volume of shots that could be available quickly, this is our best hope to beat down this disease the fastest," said Dr. Shrewsbury, who is also the author of Defy Your DNA: How the New Gene Patch Personalized Medicines Will Help You Overcome Your Greatest Health Challenges.
2.) The Big Pharma Vaccine (GlaxoSmithKline's Unnamed Shot)
UK's GSK bought a Swiss company which came with their Ebola vaccine. With GSK's financial muscle behind this shot, testing has been accelerated and human studies begun. "Single dose trials deliver quick results so we'll know if this vaccine works soon," said Shrewsbury.
3.) The Double Header (Johnson & Johnson's Unnamed Vaccine)
J & J has a two shot solution. The first gets patients' immune systems ready for action, and the second, developed by Bavarian Nordic, increases their responsiveness. The shots in humans may be given at two week increments, though in animal trials the wait was two months.
4.) The Gene Patch (TKM-Ebola)
Tekmira's product blocks the message that comes from the DNA of Ebola so it can no longer hijack the human host cell and multiply. This allows the immune system of the infected individual to defeat the virus. Tekmira, of Vancouver, Canada has been working with the US Department of Defense and started human testing in early 2014. They had already shown encouraging results in primates, turning 100% fatality into 80% survival. Limited amounts of their drug will be available by December 2014. "In the long-term," said Shrewsbury, "this gene patch might be the most useful of all these drugs as it will be the most stable and portable and can be given both before or after exposure." Shrewsbury successfully designed and led the human safety testing on another gene patch pharmaceutical to fight Ebola in 2011. "Although the results were encouraging," he said, "our funding ended after the government shut down."
5.) The Small Molecule (Brincidofovir)
Recently the FDA gave permission for this antiviral "small molecule" drug from Chimerix, to be given to patients with Ebola. Dallas patient Thomas Eric Duncan used this drug but still died. Doctors Without Borders plans on trying it in West Africa ASAP without doing a double blind study.
6.) The Flu Shot (Avigan)
An anti-flu vaccine made by Japan's Fujifilm stops viral genes from reproducing. It may work the same way on Ebola. Though this drug is at an early stage, Doctors Without Borders is also planning on trying it right away, too. If it works, Fujifilm says it can quickly manufacture the drugs in massive quantities. A French nurse treated with the drug recovered from Ebola.
7.) The Tobacco Vaccine (ZMapp)
This drug, made by genetically engineering tobacco plants, is a combination of three monoclonal antibodies. Two were developed by Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory, and the third comes from the US Army Research Institute of Infectious Disease. Two infected Ebola-infected US healthcare workers were treated with it and survived. However, out of the total of seven people given the drug, two died.