Xinhua News Agency, Washington, August 23 (Reporter Ren Haijun) American researchers recently stated that the two experimental drugs they developed have significant effects on macaques infected with Ebola and Marburg virus, respectively. The relevant research results were published on the website of the British "Nature and Medicine" magazine on the 22nd.
The two drugs, AVI-6002 and AVI-6003, were jointly developed by the US Army Institute of Infectious Diseases and AVI Biopharmaceuticals. The former can cure more than 60% of the macaques infected with the Ebola virus. The cure rate of the bovine virus is 100%.
The researchers said that both drugs belong to a class of drugs called phosphodiamine morpholino oligonucleotides that, if taken at the same time, are effective in treating filovirus hemorrhagic fever.
Currently, researchers have submitted an experimental new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and intend to use both drugs for clinical trials. Earlier, the U.S. Department of Defense signed a contract worth 291 million U.S. dollars with AVI Biopharmaceuticals for the development of Ebola drugs.
Both Ebola and Marburg viruses belong to the family of filamentous viruses, both of which cause hemorrhagic fever and have a high mortality rate. There are currently no drugs and vaccines that can effectively treat and prevent these two viruses. (Finish)