Posted on 10/02/2014 12:44:11 PM PDT by markomalley
Well before the Ebola virus was brought to the U.S. by a man traveling from Liberia, it was wreaking havoc in the West African country, where nearly 2,000 people have died during the worst Ebola outbreak in history. Now, some doctors in that country are trying new ways of treating Ebola-infected patients.
Gorbee Logan, a doctor in rural Liberia, has given at least 15 Ebola patients lamivudine, which is considered a long-term and effective drug to treat HIV patients. All but two of them survived, Logan told CNN last week.
Since that interview, Logan has been in contact with Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about the treatment. "I can't say it's a good idea or bad idea," Fauci told The Post this week. "It's one of those things where you're in a situation where you have no therapy, so you look for things that might be available."
Fauci said National Institutes of Health researchers have tested lamivudine's reaction to Ebola in test tubes. There was no response; but Fauci said researchers will adjust some levels and try it again "to see if there's even slight activity against Ebola."
If there is, he said, NIH would consider going to the trial stage.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
This makes me feel really confident... /sarc
Isn’t HIV treatment VERY expensive?
Maybe they should legalize weed. I hear it supposedly works wonders and is of no great harm to anyone.
Seeing what still stick seems to work in this instance. By the way penicillin was just sort of discovered.
This information in a preliminary form was posted about a week ago — I was blasted by the Ebola regulars (read: lady from Africa) when I suggested his work needed to be replicated independently. But would be a godsend if it worked. I looked up lamivudine at my pharmacy — inexpensive, only about $100/month.
“Isn’t HIV treatment VERY expensive?”
Only in the 1st world. In the 3rd world where they utilize drug knockoffs, it is pretty cheap in comparison.
“Isn’t HIV treatment VERY expensive?”
Depends on where you live. It may be expensive in the U.S., but remember, we subsidize a lot of HIV drugs for African nations.
$100/month is not inexpensive, if spent on 10 million people.
Ebola does seem to attack immune system, SOME HIV treatments work by affecting the Immune system....Link?
Yeah, but unlike HIV, you'd probably only need treatment for 1 or 2 months. Thus $1 or $2 billion dollars to stop the pandemic in it's tracks, would be better than some of the things we spend billions on.
Viread was used for HIV, and is now being used for Hepatitis.
costs about ~$700 for a month supply of 30 pills.
generics can be purchased from another country, for ~$250
That’s the retail price (with my discount). Figure on about $10 wholesale. If it works and given soon, you wouldn’t have to give anywhere near 10 million doses. Besides, $100 would be considered universally cheap to save a life.
You would be surprised how often a something was discovered by a doctor doing a "what can it hurt?" treatment.
When there is nothing you can do an someone is dying you will do what you can that might have a chance of saving their life.
Doesn't happen in the US too often any more. People are scared of getting sued.
Now wait just a minute!...
has this been given the okay by a witch-doctor?
HIV responds to anti-fungal meds. Why not try them on Ebola.
How about an in innovative “cocktail” of weed and GAY MARRIAGE...?
Many extol their manifest virtues.
[ Doesn’t happen in the US too often any more. People are scared of getting sued. ]
NAILED IT
But I am worried that some HIV drugs that affect RNA could possibly mutate the ebola and lead it to become worse....
The NIH shouldn’t be intrigued. It should have been the one suggesting the action. Good grief.
Who is in charge? Anyone?
It's a lot less expensive in Africa. In the US, we pay very high prices for drugs. Overseas, drugs are either supported, or are sold for only a bit more than the marginal cost of production.
A similar situation exists with the Hep C drug developed by Gilead this year. A 12-week course, which cures 90% of the people with Hep C, costs 84K in the US, but there's talk that it will be a few hundred overseas.
In the article, they were talking days. It doesn’t kill the virus, but (supposedly) inhibits viral replication, giving the body a fighting chance. Only works if administered early.
They need to try it on a second group.
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