Study finds better survival with two Ebola treatment candidates

Patients receiving either of two investigational treatments for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had a greater chance of survival than those receiving two other treatments as part of the clinical trial, the National Institutes of Health announced yesterday. As a result, all future participants in the clinical trial will receive REGN-EB3 or mAb114, the two drugs that increased survival, the agency said. NIH is helping to fund the study, carried out by an international research consortium coordinated by the World Health Organization and monitored by an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board. “While the final analysis of the data can occur only after all the data are generated and collected (likely late September/early October 2019), the DSMB and the study leadership felt the preliminary analysis of the existing data was compelling enough to recommend and implement these changes in the trial immediately,” NIH said. “The complete results will be submitted for publication in the peer-reviewed medical literature as soon as possible.”