Canadian researchers have made another possible breakthrough in the battle against one of the world’s most-feared infections, finding that a drug already used for other diseases may slash Ebola’s deadly toll. Interferon Beta-1a is used to treat chronic hepatitis B and C, and is sometimes administered to people with multiple sclerosis. Scientists led by Dr. Eleanor Fish of the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute first did lab experiments that suggested the drug was an effective weapon against Ebola. After 21 days, 67 per cent of the Interferon-treated Ebola patients were still alive, compared to just 19 per cent of the others, according to a study just published in the journal PLOS One. An Ebola vaccine developed by the national microbiology lab in Winnipeg was shown effective in a large-scale clinical trial reported in December.

Source: National Post March 20, 2017 23:26 UTC