Brincidofovir, an antiviral drug trial, is set to commence at a health centre in Liberia’s capital to help those suffering from Ebola. This will also seek to determine whether medication for other viruses can be used to treat the deadly disease.

According to a report by Al-Jazeera, the drug is currently being tested on patients at the ELWA 3 centre operated by Doctors without Borders, a French-founded humanitarian-aid organisation best known for its projects in crisis-ridden or war-torn regions. “It must be stressed that it is not a miracle cure and it is still not known whether it will help patients survive the virus,” the medical charity said in announcing the start of the drug trial this week.

Brincidofovir will be administered as an antiviral drug for people with several types of viruses, including one that infects patients receiving bone marrow transplants.

Anyone confirmed to have contacted Ebola at the centre will be offered the opportunity to either partake in the trial or continue to receive the available support care, the group said. However, this is not the only drug being deliberated upon to use in the fight against Ebola.

Other alternatives

Other drugs like ZMapp, which apparently cured 18 monkeys infected with the virus, have been suggested as possible alternatives. It was tried out on a few humans before they ran out of supply, although a certain level of doubt still hovers over its effectiveness.

According to Al Jazeera, US pharmaceutical company, Johnson & Johnson’s human trial programme could be another potential solution. “The Phase I testing is being carried out by the Oxford Vaccine Group at Britain’s Oxford University,” the news agency revealed. “The tests, involving 72 healthy volunteers, will examine how their bodies tolerate the potential vaccine.”

There is also the possibility of going ahead to produce a large quantity of the vaccine. “If necessary, Johnson & Johnson said it can make five million doses within 12 to 18 months,” Al-Jazeera explained.

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