Rapid research on deadly epidemics pays off

this week’s U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approval for Ebola This is a major milestone in drug development. This is closely related to the current efforts to combat COVID-19.

Before COVID-19 began to dominate the world, Ebola was one of the hottest viral diseases on the planet. “Ebola is a very dire situation, so everyone was able to speed up their contributions and be ready to do what they don’t do on a daily basis,” said virologist Daniel Bausch. I will. Was told The Verge Justin Karma last August.. “There are many bad illnesses in the world, but not many cause the same kind of reaction and a kind of holistic approach to things.”

More than a year later, the Ebola experiment finally succeeded in one or more ways. The drug, developed by Regeneron, is an antibody treatment called Inmazeb that has helped dramatically increase the survival rate of patients with Ebola. Occurring In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In addition to having a drug that can treat Ebola, the study also provided a blueprint for future outbreaks of the “all-hands-on-deck” virus. Researchers at the time piloted a method of conducting clinical trials responsibly during a fatal outbreak. Currently, some of the same techniques that were piloted during the Ebola epidemic are being used in the design of clinical trials for COVID-19 treatment today.

The Ebola drug trial focused on four possible treatments. Two of them, remdesivir and ZMapp, did not dramatically reduce the mortality rate of Ebola patients — at least compared to their competitors.The other two had Much better result Increases survival in some patients to 89-94 percent.They both used laboratory-grown antibodies Known as a monoclonal antibody To help cure people infected with the virus. One of the successful drugs, REGN-EB3, later became Inmazeb.

At that time, it was a new way to do things. Clinical trials of Ebola outbreaks in West Africa from 2013 to 2016 Movement is too slow, And researchers have not been able to obtain sufficient data to draw conclusions about potential treatments. Scientists knew that Ebola would recur and wanted to find a way to quickly test treatments in the event of a future illness.The· World Health Organization And many other international partners Lessons from the outbreak in West Africa And I came up with a framework It can be used to conduct clinical trials ethically in future outbreaks.

Researchers put the plan into action when the outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018. They faced particularly difficult situations, including distrust of government and health authorities, unstable power supplies, and local violence. But it still worked. “This study has shown that it is possible to conduct scientifically rigorous and ethically sound research at the time of occurrence, even in conflict zones,” the researchers write. Published report In New England Journal of Medicine 2019..

The success of the Ebola trial in 2018, and other such trials, are part of what helped the COVID-19 study proceed very quickly after the virus began to spread. Back in February, researchers We have already begun testing treatments and are modeling efforts from the 2018 Ebola trial. “What we have learned from Ebola will undoubtedly help us to get better during this outbreak,” said Andre Karil, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The Verge Nicole Wetman in February.

There is still a long way to go.We are starting to see the early signs of which drug May be useful in treating COVID-19 Under certain circumstances, this may not be the case. (((Remdesivir received urgent approval from the FDA in May But now On thin ice again). But even at very fast rates, it took two years for Ebola treatment to move from clinical trials to full FDA approval. It won’t take long to see the urgent approval of other COVID-19 treatments, but full approval may still be a distant spot, even with all hands on the deck.

Here’s what else happened this week.

the study

The Great Barrington Declaration’s “herd immunity” strategy is a nightmare
This pandemic will last a long time. Many want to move on, and some suggest a fairly unethical way to do that.so Vox, Brian Resnick analyzes why the proposed “herd immunity” strategy is a nightmare — and seems to give up.
(Brian Resnick /Vox)

Rare Covid-19 complications have been reported in children. Now it is appearing in adults.
A strange inflammatory syndrome appeared in children with COVID-19 earlier this year. This condition is currently present in a few adults, but it still seems to be rare.
(Erica Edwards /NBC)

“No one has a very clear answer to them”: Doctors are looking for a cure for covid-19 long-distance infections
Researchers and doctors are looking for ways to treat COVID-19 patients whose symptoms persist.
(Leonard Bernstein /Washington post)

development of

Due to safety concerns, NIH has suspended the Eli Lilly Covid-19 antibody test
Due to safety concerns, antibody treatment trials have been suspended this week. statistics NIH reports that the study was suspended because one of the two groups, either placebo or treatment, was functioning better than the other.
(Damian Gard and Matthew Harper /statistics)

Johnson & Johnson Suspends COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Due to Unexplained Disease
Another trial, which was about vaccines, was canceled this week. The study was suspended due to an unexplained illness in the participants. This is the second trial of the COVID-19 vaccine. Put on hold.. Two vaccine trials conducted by Pfizer and Moderna are still underway in the United States. (Nicole Wetman /The Verge)

Pfizer says it will not seek vaccine approval by mid-November
For some time, Pfizer has promised vaccine test results from mid-October to late October. Now they say they may have some data by the end of the month, but they are not going to seek FDA approval by November at the earliest.
(Katey Thomas and Noah Wieland /now)

Remdesivir Can’t Prevent Covid-19’s Death in Huge Trials
A WHO study in Remdesivir found that death could not be prevented.analysis Not peer-reviewed Still, some researchers say the trial was not properly designed. (Catherine J Woo /now)

In the United States, 50 states could mean 50 vaccine deployment strategies
Maryn McKenna describes the potentially awkward development of the future COVID-19 vaccine.
(Marine Makena /Wired)

Outlook

Guardian of Elmhurst
“Approximately 4,000 people work at Elmhurst Hospital, of which approximately 3,000 are women.” Mattie Kahn maintained operation at Elmhurst Hospital during the horrific COVID-19 surge in New York City earlier this year. Emphasizes the four women who contributed to doing so.
(Mati Khan / Glamor)

More than a number

For more than 39,393,994 people worldwide who test positive, the path to recovery may be on track.

For 1,105,462 family and friends who have died worldwide, or 218,602 in the United States, your loved one will never be forgotten.

Everyone, please ensure your safety.