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Washington – Preliminary results prompted a swift shutdown of an extensive study of drugs and experimental drugs against the Ebola virus, which killed more than 1,800 people in one year. The study was halted to give priority to drug use in the Congo in order to save the ever increasing number of infected people.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, of the US National Institutes of Health, who helped fund the study, said the initial findings suggest "very good news". With these drugs, "we may be able to improve the survival of people with Ebola."
The drugs, one developed by Regironon Pharmaceuticals and the other by National Institutes of Health researchers, are antibodies that fight the virus.
Although research shows that there is an effective experimental vaccine against the Ebola virus – currently used in Congo – the studies do not indicate any of the many potential treatments that would have been tried once people became ill. During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, several years ago, studies showed that a large number of patients were using another mix of antimicrobials called zimab, but nothing clearly proves its effectiveness.
Thus, with the current epidemic in Congo, the researchers compared Zimab to three other drugs, one of which is a compound of Regironon, the second drug produced by the US National Institutes of Health, called MIP 114 , and the third antiviral called "Remediver. "
At the end of last week, independent observers reviewed the combined results of hundreds of patients participating in the Congo study.
A large number of confirmed cases can not be detected, especially in the presence of people around Ebola
Dr Fossi said the observers had found enough evidence to stop the search immediately. They proved that the regironone worked better than other drugs and that antimatter designed by the National Institutes of Health was not far from being effective, according to the results. The researchers then continued their studies to determine the success of these two compounds.
Fossey confirmed that the data were preliminary. However, in this study, the number of deaths of people taking regenerone or NIH antagonist was significantly lower than the number of people taking another drug: about 30% of those taking the drug compared to 50% patients. Who took the medicine "Zimab".
What is even more striking is that when patients sought care early, before virus proliferation in the blood, only 6% of Regenirone patients and 11% of NIH patients died, compared to about 24% of those who used Zimab.
Dr. Michael Ryan, of the World Health Organization, said that about three-quarters of the unattended people were dying. All Ebola treatment units in the Congo have access to both drugs, he said, adding that he hoped the news would convince more patients of the need to prevent and receive care as soon as possible. Appearance of symptoms.
The Ebola epidemic in Congo is the result of conflict in the region and because many people do not believe that Ebola is a real danger and choose to stay at home when they are sick, thus stimulating the spread of the disease. virus.
"It's essential to take care of people faster," said Ryan, "we now have clear evidence of the effectiveness of drugs and we need to get that message out to the general population."
Voseny said that Regeneron and Ridgeback, the biological therapies producing the antiviral compound, told the authorities that there were enough doses.
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has announced that it has provided new tools and improvements to the medical management of the epidemic compared to previous Ebola outbreaks, such as new development treatments, and more and more Ebola treatment centers are open and accessible to families of patients.
Even after almost a year of the epidemic, the situation in Ebola-affected areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is deteriorating and the number of HIV cases is increasing: more than 2,500 cases and more than 1,700 deaths have been reported. reported. Confirmed until now.
Many people continue to die – at home and in public health facilities – and many new confirmed cases can not be found, especially in the presence of people living around the Ebola virus.
The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo leads the response to the epidemic and is supported by WHO.
In the opinion of specialists, it will not be possible to end this epidemic if there is no trust between health workers and those affected. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) stresses the need for the authorities and staff concerned to understand and listen to the needs of the population and to allow people to choose their own health.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) also believes that Ebola control activities should be integrated into the health care system in order to improve people's access to it and to ensure its effectiveness in case of Ebola. # 39; outbreak. The move has positive effects: on the one hand, health teams can diagnose cases quickly and, on the other hand, people are treated in known and trusted facilities.
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