A pharmaceutical company executive revealed that the firm is working with international health organizations to potentially deploy its COVID-19 antiviral medication against a devastating Ebola outbreak currently spreading in Africa.
The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo has infected an estimated 1,100 individuals and claimed 42 lives. Health officials are particularly concerned because this outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain, a rare form of the virus for which no authorized vaccines or treatments currently exist.
Eliav Barr, chief medical officer at the company’s research laboratories, explained the potential application during an interview at the American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago on Sunday. “Molnupiravir is a non-specific RNA virus drug. We’re thinking about how we could use that,” Barr stated.
“We’re talking a lot with different parties about this,” Barr added.
The medication, created by the New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and marketed as Lagevrio, received emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration during the pandemic. It was approved for treating mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults facing high risk for serious illness.
While not currently authorized as an Ebola therapy, molnupiravir has demonstrated effectiveness against Ebola in laboratory animal testing and might prove valuable for preventing infections in high-risk individuals. However, the medication is not advised for pregnant women.
The company also produces an Ebola vaccine named Ervebo, which has approval for protecting against the more prevalent Zaire Ebola virus. Barr indicated that the vaccine’s underlying technology might prove helpful in creating a new vaccine.
“They may be able to alter it. We’re looking at that,” he explained.
Barr described the expanding outbreak as “very frightening,” pointing out that his company operates HIV research facilities in Uganda, located across one of Africa’s major lakes from the DRC. Uganda has already confirmed nine Ebola cases and recorded one fatality.
“We’re watching with trepidation,” he said.
