Regeneron Gets FDA Approval to Treat Ebola

Regeneron
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Regeneron

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc gained a lot of attention after producing an antibody cocktail to treat President Donald Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Inmazeb, a drug that treats infections caused by Zaire ebolavirus, on Oct. 14, 2020.

RegeneronIn 2015, they Partnered with the U.S. government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop a treatment for Ebola. The antibody cocktails attack Ebola and SARS-CoV2 viruses similar by blocking the virus’s replication, but they are completely different medications. The company has been working on these drugs for many years.

In response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2018, Regeneron committed to making the medicine available to people who need it. Inmazeb was used in the Pamoja Tulinde Maisha (PLAM) trail. The medication is given to people free of charge.

Regeneron worked with the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. FDA, and other global organizations to offer Inmazeb under compassionate use. The compassionate use protocol makes unapproved new drugs available to treat severely ill people when there is no other treatment. Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., stated:

We hope this will be one of many demonstrations of how the power of science can successfully deploy against dangerous infectious diseases. We will use the same sophisticated technology and manufacturing capabilities to fight COVID-19.

Inmazeb worked best when it was given to patients at the beginning stage of the disease. When it was compared to ZMAPP and remdesivir two other investigational medications, it worked better. The approval from the FDA will help the company provide medication for many people.

Written by Jessica Letcher
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

Investor Regeneron: REGENERON’S ANTIBODY COCKTAIL REGN-EB3 (INMAZEB®) IS FIRST FDA-APPROVED TREATMENT FOR EBOLA (ZAIRE EBOLAVIRUS)

NPR: Ebola Never Went Away. But Now There’s A Drug To Treat It; Jason Beaubien

Fierce Pharma: Regeneron, in the thick of COVID-19 fight, snags historic FDA approval for Ebola treatment; Eric Sagonowsky

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of NIH Image Gallery’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

Inset Image Courtesy of Eelke’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

Share:

Send Us A Message