title: Repurposed therapeutic agents targeting the Ebola virus: a protocol for a systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The recent Ebola epidemic in western Africa developed into an acute public health emergency of unprecedented level in modern times. The treatment provided in most cases has been limited to supportive care, as no approved therapies are available to date. Several established, licenced drugs have been suggested as potential repurposed therapeutic agents for Ebola. However, scientific data on their efficacy in treating Ebola is limited. The purpose of this review is to systematically assess scientific evidence on potential drugs targeting Ebola. In specific, we aim to (1) identify drug library screens involving therapeutic agents targeting the Ebola virus, (2) list potential approved drugs identified from drug screens and review their mechanism of action against the Ebola virus and (3) summarise the outcome of preclinical and clinical trials investigating approved drugs targeting the Ebola virus.
  
  
  METHODS
  We will develop comprehensive systematic search strategies and will perform a systematic literature search in MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Two authors will independently screen the titles, abstracts and the references of all selected articles on the basis of inclusion criteria. These include any available drug screening, preclinical studies and clinical studies examining the efficacy of approved therapeutic agents targeting the Ebola virus. There will be no restrictions on the type of participants, the type of comparator, time or setting. Data extraction and quality assessment will be undertaken by two review authors working independently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This systematic review will provide systematic knowledge on potential repurposed therapeutic agents targeting Ebola. It aims to help guide future investigations on repurposed drugs and avoid repetitive studies.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  PROSPERO CRD42015024349.
authors.affiliation: Public Health, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. hussein.sweiti@uni-duesseldorf.de.|Surgical Department, Klinikum Frankfurt Höchst, Frankfurt, Germany. hussein.sweiti@uni-duesseldorf.de.
authors.forename: Hussein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sweiti
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Research Group for Evidence-Based Public Health, Department of Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Bremen, Germany. ekwunife@uni-bremen.de.|Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. ekwunife@uni-bremen.de.
authors.forename: Obinna
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ekwunife
authors.affiliation: Department for Evidence-based health services research, Institute for Research in Operative Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany. thomas.jaschinski@uni-wh.de.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jaschinski
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Research Group for Evidence-Based Public Health, Department of Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Bremen, Germany. stefan.lhachimi@uni-bremen.de.|Institute for Public Health, Health Sciences Bremen, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany. stefan.lhachimi@uni-bremen.de.
authors.forename: Stefan K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lhachimi
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003906:Developing Countries; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D058492:Drug Repositioning; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000187:drug effects*; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents