Ebola -infected monkeys can be healed with a tablet, according to a new study that can pave the way to more practical and affordable treatments in humans.
First identified in 1976 and that it is thought to have been transmitted by bats, the Ebola It is a deadly viral disease that propagates through direct contact with body fluids, causing serious bleeding and organ failure.
Since outbreaks mainly affect sub -Saharan Africa, pharmaceutical companies have not had financial incentives to develop treatments and sporadic nature of outbreaks have hindered clinical trials.
According to the vaccine, it was only widely approved in 2019, and although two intravenous antibody treatments improve results, require expensive cold storage and are difficult to manage in some of the poorest regions of the world.
“We are really trying to find something that is more practical, easier to use, that can be used to help prevent, control and contain outbreaks,” he said Thomas Geisbert, Virologist of The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galvestonwhich led the new study in Science Advances.
For your experience, Geisbert and his colleagues tested the antiviral Obeldesivir, The oral shape of intravenous remdivir, originally developed for Covid-19.
Obeldesivir is a “polymerase inhibitor“Which means it blocks a crucial enzyme for viral replication.
The team infected monkeys rhesus e cynomolgus with a high dose of the Makona variant of the Ebola virus.
One day after the exhibition, 10 monkeys received a pill of obeldesivir daily for ten dayswhile three control monkeys received no treatment and died.
O Obeldesivir protected 80% of monkeys cynomolgus e 100% of monkeys rhesuswhich are biologically closer to humans.
The drug not only eliminated the blood virus of the monkeys treated, but also triggered an immune response, helping them develop antibodies and avoiding organs injuries.
Geisbert explained that although the number of monkeys was relatively small, the Study was statistically powerful because the animals were exposed to an extraordinarily high dose of the virus – about 30,000 times the lethal dose for humans – Which limited the unnecessary deaths of animals.
The researcher, who has been working with since the 1980s and to whom he is attributed to Discovery of the Reston Estirpesaid that one of the most interesting aspects of obeldesivir is its “Largo Speed” protectioncompared to approved antibody treatments that only work against the Zaire of Ebola species.
“It’s a great advantage“Said Geisbert.
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Gilead is currently moving with obeldesivir to Phase 2 of Marburg virus clinical trialsa relative close to the Ebola.
Geisbert also emphasized the importance of financing the US National Health Institutes.
“All these drugs and vaccines that were developed against Ebola and many of these viruses and exotic pathogenic agents – 90% of the money comes from the US government,” he said, adding: “I think the general public would agree that we need treatments for Ébola“.
Teresa Oliveira Campos, Zap //
