Ebola – What’s the Pipeline?

As the 2014 West Africa Ebola virus outbreak claims its thousandth victim, many questions are being asked over how the disease can be contained, and if not contained, then how best to treat it. The options, as those who are even vaguely familiar with this latest outbreak will know, are very limited. At best, afflicted patients can expect supportive care. The consequences, of course, are dire. Ebola has one of the highest mortality rates of all viral diseases and the latest outbreak has spread across a series of countries – and could spread further afield.

There are plenty of viral diseases that have seen successful treatments, vaccines and containment strategies emerge – HIV/AIDS, smallpox…and most recently we have seen a de facto cure for Hepatitis C come to the market. However, with Ebola, the pharmaceutical industry is being confronted with a familiar tale of criticism over its “moral bankruptcy” –…