1/3 The effort to develop effective drugs against Ebola in West Africa in 2018 provide an instructive lesson to inform current programs to find a treatment for #COVID19
One lesson: Drugs were put into development while the Ebola outbreak was declining
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
One lesson: Drugs were put into development while the Ebola outbreak was declining
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
FDA stated “As the public health response gained ground, the epidemic declined and fewer new eligible cases of Ebola became available for the trial.” Same could be true for #COVID19. It may become more difficult to enroll trials as epidemic hopefully wanes fda.gov/drugs/regulato…
We all welcome day when cases stop rapidly accruing. But we should keep this experience in mind, especially when it comes to prophylactic antibodies we hope to develop for #COVID19. By time they reach clinic in June/July, it may be harder to study them if spread is breaking off.
That could delay development timelines for drugs we hoped to have available in September. In the case of Ebola it took 9 months to fully enroll trials. To optimize timelines for #COVID19 we should focus efforts on the most promising drugs that can also be available by the Fall.
If the virus ultimately spreads to the southern hemisphere as they enter their winter, people there will be in great need of promising medicines. U.S. companies should consider setting up protocols there now, in anticipation of the need, and chance to more rapidly enroll trials.
