DRC- The World Health Organisation said on Tuesday it was awaiting formal approval from the Democratic Republic of Congo to send in unlicenced Ebola medication to help rein in an outbreak of the deadly virus.
The UN health agency and DRC authorities are rushing to contain the outbreak that has sickened 54 people in recent weeks, including 25 who have died.
Peter Salama WHO’s head of emergency told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, a “major innovation in this outbreak is the potential for use of therapeutic regimens.”
Salama said the agency and the DRC health ministry were considering allowing the use of five as-yet unlicenced drugs.
WHO said the laboratory names of ZMapp, Remdesivir (GS-5734), REGN3470-3471-3479, Favipiravir and mAb 114.
He stressed that all of the drugs were as yet “unregistered.”
He said this means under the protocols used for research and clinical trials, it will require ethical reviews and informed consent from each recipient.
He added, “But the government is very keen to begin using this and we expect to formally get approval and start within the coming days.”
WHO said the first two drugs on the list had already been tested on humans, the rest had been tested on animals, adding that there was “some data on safety.”
Salama suggested the current Ebola outbreak presented an occasion to test which of the drugs were the most effective.
By looking at it this way, “more information in the future outbreaks on which drugs could be most effective.”
Photo Credit- Yahoo
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