title: Progression of Ebola Therapeutics During the 2014-2015 Outbreak.
abstract: The recent Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak in West Africa was the deadliest EBOV epidemic in history, highlighting the need for a safe and efficacious treatment against EBOV disease (EVD). In the absence of an approved treatment, experimental drugs were utilized under compassionate grounds hoping to diminish EVD-associated morbidity and mortality. As more data were collected from safety studies, Phase II/III clinical trials were introduced in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia to test promising candidates, including small-molecule drugs, RNA-based treatments, and antibody-based therapies. In this review, we summarize the use of, and preliminary observations from, current clinical trials with EVD therapeutics, shedding light on experimental drug selection, emergency clinical evaluation, and the impact these factors may have on future infectious disease outbreaks.
authors.affiliation: Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Department of Immunology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Emelissa J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.affiliation: Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Xiangguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Department of Immunology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: gary.kobinger@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Gary P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Kobinger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D057176:Compassionate Use Trials; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D016701:Guinea / Q000453:epidemiology; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007988:Liberia / Q000453:epidemiology; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012807:Sierra Leone / Q000453:epidemiology; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D054852:Small Molecule Libraries
keywords: Ebola virus therapeutics; infectious disease outbreak