Is There a Potential Cure for Ebola on the Horizon?

Until today, hopes for treating the Ebola virus were slim to none. That’s because there were no obvious drugs or vaccines available. ZMapp, the only experimental drug used to date, is no longer accessible since the supplies are all gone. It could have been many months before anyone could pull a rabbit out of the hat.

That all changed with an announcement from Chimerix, Inc., that it is making the experimental drug brincidofovir (CMX001) available to physicians treating patients with Ebola Virus Disease. The FDA granted an Emergency Investigational New Drug (EIND) Application to Chimerix and this should allow immediate access to this fascinating antiviral medication.

What Makes Brincidofovir So Exciting?

This drug has actually been tested in over 1,000 people already, so unlike other experimental compounds, brincidofovir actually has a substantial safety record. The drug has broad-spectrum antiviral activity. It interferes with the way in which viruses replicate (by inhibiting viral DNA polymerase).

For more than a decade Chimerix has been working with the federal government to test brincidofovir against smallpox. Animal research suggests that the drug can significantly enhance survival in a rabbit model.

A Dying Boy is Saved

It’s not just smallpox, though. This drug appears to have the ability to prevent or treat a number of DNA viruses, including cytomegalovirus (CMV) and adenovirus (AdV). These can be lethal infections.

Brincidofovir made headlines last spring when a dying child, Josh Hardy, was granted access to the drug. He was infected with adenovirus during cancer treatment and was on death’s doorstep. Josh responded well to the drug and was eventually able to leave the hospital with no obvious signs of the virus.

Brincidofovir Against Ebola

Josh is only one case, but there is growing hope that brincidofovir will help overcome a number of life-threatening viral infections including Ebola. Test tube studies at the Viral Special Pathogens Branch of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the NIH demonstrate activity against Ebola. These in vitro tests are the first step in establishing effectiveness. Animal tests are also underway to see if the drug works in a model system. Doctors are already administering the drug to the first US Ebola patient, Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas, under the Emergency Investigational New Drug Application just granted by the FDA.

Ultimately, clinical studies will need to be conducted to get a true sense of how well the drug works in the real world. At the moment, though, there is excitement around the potential for brincidofovir. With so many people dying in West Africa from this virus, a drug with antiviral activity against Ebola is good news. We just hope the drug will live up to its initial billing. Only time will tell. We just don’t have much time left with this out-of-control epidemic. Hopefully, brincidofovir will be an amazing rabbit that doctors can pull out of their hat.

Related: Missed Diagnosis of Ebola in Dallas Reveals ER Flaws