As Ebola Spreads Fear in Western Africa, Pressure Mounts to Deploy RNAi Antiviral

A day or so following reassurances by the Guinean authorities that the Ebola virus outbreak had been contained and was under control, news is making the rounds of confirmed lethal cases in Conakry, the 2 million capital city of the country, and in neighboring countries in Western Africa.  With the death toll rising, the disease spreading internationally, and the virus paralyzing affected areas, pressure is mounting to call in an RNAi Therapeutic which has proven to be effective in the most stringent efficacy models possible.  66 are thought to have died from the disease by now, at least 4 of which are healthcare workers.

The therapeutic, developed by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals and funded by a $140M contract from the US Department of Defense, has shown 100% post-exposure survival in monkeys infected with the otherwise highly (90%) lethal Zaire strain of the virus.  This is the same virus ravaging through Western Africa right now.  Because of this, the Ebola therapeutic which targets two viral sequences simultaneously and which entered phase I in-man studies earlier this year, there is a very high likelihood that TKM-Ebola will be applicable in this situation.

Only days ago, TKM-Ebola was bestowed fast-track status by the FDA.

Under normal circumstances, licensure of TKM-Ebola would follow the Animal Rule.  According to the Animal Rule, treatments for diseases for which it is either impractical or unethical to conduct efficacy studies, can be approved by the US FDA if sufficient efficacy can be demonstrated in stringent animal models (monkeys here) and human safety at corresponding dose levels.  Ebola obviously is a candidate for the Animal Rule since experimental infections of humans cannot be done ethically and natural outbreaks are so rare and unpredictable.

Following the demonstrations of animal efficacy, the ongoing single- and multi-dose ascending phase I in-man study for which the single-dose phase appears to have already concluded is designed to confirm such safety.  To make sure that the findings are robust, this is typically followed by larger animal efficacy and human safety studies.  At this point (~2016/7), the FDA would make its decision regarding licensure which would lead to stockpiling orders from the US government for preparedness against bioterrorist attacks.

Arguments for deployment of TKM-Ebola in Western Africa

Although TKM-Ebola has not completed the formal requirements under the Animal Rule, it is fair to assume that TKM-Ebola, the most advanced Ebola anti-viral in development, will do more good than harm in a disease without alternatives besides supportive care.  With a lethality of 80-90%, I would certainly take my chances.

A deployment would serve at least two purposes.  Firstly, it would give us a chance to confirm the effectiveness of the RNAi Therapeutic in actual humans.  In addition to the scientific value, if I were the US government, I would be eager to take advantage of the unique opportunity at testing efficacy before spending billions on an agent for which there is only theoretical human efficacy.

Secondly, having TKM-Ebola as a standby in hospitals would help restore some calm and confidence, especially among the healthcare workers which need to contain the outbreak.  It is also most likely that from a logistics point-of-view, this is the population where TKM-Ebola would be most effective as it is here where the disease can be detected and drug administered early enough for the treatment to be effective (within 2 to 3 days following exposure).

In order for TKM-Ebola to have maximal impact, manufacturing would have to be scaled up (I estimate ~2 months for the production of large lots) and the logistics around diagnostics and treatment administration put in place.  Nobody knows whether the current outbreak will spread further, but it is better to be prepared in case it does.  As the suspected Canadian case this week illustrated, Ebola is now just a plane ride away from us. 

Watch out for the April 1 presentation by Dr. Ian MacLachlan from Tekmira on the latest data for TKM-Ebola which will be in front of a sell-out crowd at the FILO 2014 conference in Galveston, Texas.