Therapeutics Against Filovirus Infection

Abstract

Therapies for filovirus infections are urgently needed. The paradoxical issue facing therapies is the need for rigorous safety and efficacy testing, adhering to the principle tenant of medicine to do no harm, while responding to the extreme for a treatment option during an outbreak. Supportive care remains a primary goal for infected patients. Years of research into filoviruses has provided possible medical interventions ranging from direct antivirals, host-factor supportive approaches, and passive immunity. As more basic research is directed toward understanding these pathogens and their impact on the host, effective approaches to treat patients during infection will be identified. The ability to manage outbreaks with medical interventions beyond supportive care will require clinical trial design that will balance the benefits of the patient and scientific community.

Successful treatment of Marburg virus with orally administrated T-705 (Favipiravir) in a mouse model

“…No vaccine is currently approved to prevent filovirus disease, although many candidates have shown efficacy in non-human primates as well as in human trials conducted during the West African Ebola epidemic (Feldmann et al, 2013; Martins et al, 2016). Likewise, no drug candidate has been approved for use, but several candidates have been developed, including siRNAs, monoclonal antibodies, interferon, and estrogen receptor modulators (Johansen et al, 2013; Bixler et al, 2017; Connor et al, 2017; Olinger Jr et al, 2012; Qiu et al, 2012). …”

Advancements in Marburg (MARV) Virus Vaccine Research With Its Recent Reemergence in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania: A Scoping Review

“…Since then, this virus has been prioritized for developing countermeasures and preparing adequate responses in case an outbreak does occur. Considerable progress has been made on the vaccine front as well as developing tools necessary for continuing integral research [ 8 ].…”

Recent advances in marburgvirus research

“…In 2012, we published a comprehensive overview on marburgviruses and the disease they cause, ranging from ecology to molecular biology and treatment options 7 . A number of areas of significant progress in the marburgvirus field since 2012—including the development of tools to study MARV replication and transcription and to rescue MARV clones 8, 9 , advances in filovirus countermeasures 10, 11 , and vaccine development 12 —have recently been summarized. Progress in the development of MARV vaccines and antiviral treatment options has led to phase 1 clinical trials to evaluate their safe use in humans 13– 15 .…”