While a phase 1 clinical trial for a possible vaccine against the Ebola virus is scheduled for September, a secret serum developed by the United States would have saved two American patients. Chain CNN revealed this information, citing a source familiar with the operation in question.
The two Americans infected with the virus in Liberia, Doctor Kent Brantly and nurse’s aide Nancy Writebol, have reportedly been contacted by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) through their employer, the NGO Samaritan’s Purse. The representative in charge of the exchange would have offered them an experimental treatment called ZMapp, developed by the American firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. According to the agency The Associated Press, this drug made up of antibodies amplifies the efforts of the immune system to fight Ebola.
A spectacular effect
Warned that the serum had never been tested on humans, the doctor and the caregiver agreed to try the treatment. Three vials of ZMapp would then have been sent from California to Liberia last Thursday, reports Release. The serum would have had a dramatic effect on Dr. Brantly. As his physical condition deteriorated, he was able to shower on his own the next morning and fly to the United States. The caregiver’s health stabilized and she was also able to leave Liberia.
The NIH has confirmed to Release that contact has taken place between Samaritan’s Purse and an NIH researcher in West Africa regarding information about ongoing experimental treatments. But they say the shipment of the serum was arranged by the manufacturer, not the US government.
