A second experimental drug to be tested on people in Africa sickened with the Ebola virus was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, The New York Times reported.
The initial trial on health volunteers was halted last month after side effects were observed. It is believed to have been developed by Tekmira Pharmeceuticals of British Columbia.
Although the FDA is saying the drug, called TKM-Ebola, should not be given to healthy volunteers due to the possibility of extreme side effects, the agency is allowing it to be used on patients who are already infected with the virus.
Mark Murray, the chief executive of Tekmira, said in a statement obtained by The New York Times that Tekmira has been closely watching the outbreak - now declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization - and is willing to assist with responsible use of TKM-Ebola.
The drug is being developed under a $140 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. Described as an anti-Ebola RNAi therapeutic, the drug is designed to be given in multiple doses. But this method is not always practical during a mass outbreak, Sky News reported.
By shutting off genes of the virus using a technique called RNA interference, the drug begins to treat the virus and its symptoms, according to The New York Times.
West Africa is experiencing the most devastation outbreak of the virus in its history. Ebola has killed 932 people and infected more than 1,700 so far. The rapidly spreading outbreak has sped up the process of making experimental therapies available, though some healthcare experts say it could be months before production is high enough to be delivered to all those in need, according to Sky News.
A different experimental treatment known as ZMapp was given to the two American missionaries who were evacuated from Liberia in recent days. Ken Brantly and Nancy Writebol are improving, but health authorities say time still has to tell whether the drug had anything to do with their recovery.
