The Food and Drug Administration approved on Wednesday a treatment for the Ebola virus. This is the first FDA-approved treatment for Zaire ebolavirus infection in adults and kids.
Zaire ebolavirus is one of four Ebola virus species that can cause potentially deadly infections. It is transmitted through direct contact with blood, tissue or body fluids of an infected person or wild animal.
The treatment, Inmazeb, is a mixture of three monoclonal antibodies and was created by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The three antibodies work together to bind to the glycoprotein on the surface of the Ebola virus and block it from entry into the body’s cells.
Inmazeb was tested in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during an Ebola virus outbreak in 2018-2019 through a partnership between the local government and the National Institutes of Health.
A vaccine for Ebola virus was approved by the FDA in December 2019.
Regeneron is also the company behind an experimental antibody cocktail that was given to President Donald Trump following his diagnosis of COVID-19, and which he said “cured” him. Trump was also prescribed the antiviral drug remdesivir and the steroid dexamethasone at the time.
Regeneron’s COVID-19 treatment is a mix of two powerful antibodies that are believed to boost the immune response to the coronavirus. Early results seem promising, according to initial tests anda press release from the company.
The company has submitted an applicationto the FDA to get emergency approval of their COVID-19 treatment.