A pivotal day in world's response to Ebola nears: the launch of a clinical trial - STAT

A pivotal day in world's response to Ebola nears: the launch of a clinical trial - STAT

DRC prepares for launch of Ebola treatment trial

A clinical trial testing experimental Ebola treatments is set to get underway in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where 205 people have died in the ongoing outbreak. Here’s what you need to know:

• The trial: The study will test whether experimental treatments improve the chances of survival in Ebola patients in the DRC outbreak. The randomized trial will test three different antibody treatments and an antiviral drug, all of which are already being used in the response.
• The context: It's expected to span several outbreaks and countries, since the study likely won't produce clear results based on a single epidemic.
• The challenge: Violence in the areas affected by Ebola remains a serious challenge to the response — and will also complicate the clinical trial. “I don’t think the world quite appreciates the challenge of the environment in which this is happening,” said the Wellcome Trust's Dr. Jeremy Farrar, who is helping lead a group to draft the trial protocol.

More here from STAT's Helen Branswell.