In the ever urgent quest to find an effective treatment for the Ebola virus, the international medical organisation, Doctors Without Borders has announced plans to commence accelerated clinical trials as early as next month. The trials will be overseen by three different research partners and involve the United Nations, World Health Organisation and health officials from the affected countries.
The group plans to establish three Ebola treatment centres using experimental drugs that haven’t been through the usual extended process of testing and study with animals and healthy humans as a culture group.
Peter Horby, chief investigator for the trial led by Oxford University says “if we’re going to find a treatment, we have to do it now – which is why we have to accelerate these trials.” Oxford University’s trial will test the antiviral drug brincidofovir in Liberia.
The National Institute of Health and Medical Research from France will conduct a trial using the antiviral drug favipiravir in Gueckedou, Guinea, and the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine will test convalescent whole blood and plasma therapy therapy in Guinea.
The trials are expected to commence in December, with results expected to start surfacing by February or March next year.