Fauci details goals of new Ebola trial
The first randomized, controlled trial of potential Ebola therapies conducted during an outbreak has started enrolling patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The trial is intended to treat patients who are affected by an outbreak that has not been contained, and to generate data that can guide responses to future outbreaks, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told BioCentury.
Patients who are treated at one of the Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) that are participating in the trial are being randomized to receive one of three medicines: Zmapp from Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. (San Diego, Calif.); mAb114, which was developed by NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center; and remdesivir (GS-5734) from Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD). A fourth agent, REGN-EB3 (REGN3470-3471-3479) from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN), is likely to be added to the trial soon, Fauci said...