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Limited Promise in early results from Ebola drug trial

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AFP                                                                                                                     Feb. 23, 2015
Los Angeles  - Early results from an Ebola trial using the experimental drug Avigan (favipiravir) showed Monday it was somewhat effective at saving lives if given early in the illness, but not later.

Early results from an Ebola trial using the experimental drug Avigan (favipiravir) show it is somewhat effective at saving lives if given early in the illness (AFP Photo/George Frey)

The antiviral treatment is being developed by the Japanese company Toyama Chemical, and has been shown safe and effective against some other viruses including influenza, West Nile and yellow fever.

An ongoing clinical trial in Guinea is testing the drug's use in patients with the Ebola virus, which causes severe vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes fatal bleeding.

Results from only 80 people are available so far, but they show that among those who received the drug early in their illness, 15 percent died of Ebola.

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http://news.yahoo.com/limited-promise-early-results-ebola-drug-trial-233846828.html;_ylt=AwrBJR4NwetUih0Aqe3QtDMD

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REUTERS  by Emma Farge                                       Feb. 23, 2015

DAKAR  ---

..."We think this is a sufficiently encouraging sign for it to be made available to Ebola patients more widely," said Augustin Augier, secretary general of ALIMA, which runs the treatment center in Nzerekore, in southeast Guinea.

Several health officials said the drug should be given in Sierra Leone, where more than 160 patients are suspected of carrying the virus....

 "We think this is a sufficiently encouraging sign for it to be made available to Ebola patients more widely," said Augustin Augier, secretary general of ALIMA, which runs the treatment center in Nzerekore, in southeast Guinea.

But the World Health Organization (WHO) said more research should be done. "There are not sufficient data to draw firm conclusions about this drug's efficacy against Ebola," a spokeswoman said.

Asked whether the WHO would facilitate the use of favipiravir more widely, she said: "It is up to national regulatory authorities how and whether to use it."

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/23/us-health-ebola-drug-idUSKBN0LR27G20150223

 

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