Experimental Drug to Fight Ebola Arrives in Liberia

NBC News reported that an “experimental drug” has arrived in Liberia, to be tried on one infected charity worker from the US. No confirmations have been made as to which drug is being used but there are several in development, including Tekmira Pharmaceuticals’ TKM-Ebola Phase I which was recently put on hold as the company addresses US Food and Drug Administration concerns.

As quoted in the article:

“All we know and can say it is an experimental drug among several options that was the most promising,” said Bruce Johnson, president of Serving in Mission USA. “Doctors on the ground in Liberia with Samaritan’s Purse and SIM were involved in the decision-to-use process, along with the consent of the patients.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he also had no idea which treatment the group may be using.

“The sad fact is we don’t have any proven treatment for Ebola. We don’t have any proven vaccine against Ebola,” he told NBC News.

Companies may provide experimental drugs for use on a compassionate basis in cases of dire need. In this case, U.S. regulators may not need to become involved because the patients are not in the United States.

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