May 20 (Reuters) – U.S. officials are working with Mapp Biopharmaceutical to make an experimental Ebola treatment available for people who may have been exposed to the virus, an HHS official said on Wednesday.
The privately held biotech firm is working with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, known as BARDA, to supply the treatment for potential use in high-risk individuals as part of coordinated preparedness efforts, the official told Reuters.
The investigational monoclonal antibody treatment was developed through a longstanding public-private partnership supported by BARDA to address Sudan virus, which is closely related to other ebolaviruses, the official said.
Laboratory data suggest the treatment has the potential to be effective against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the cause of the current Ebola outbreak. The outbreak was declared last week and has alarmed experts because it spread undetected for weeks in a densely populated area.
Any potential use of the product is being coordinated through a whole-of-government approach involving ASPR, FDA, and the Department of State, the official added.
The official did not discuss specific supply levels, production capacity or procurement considerations.
Bloomberg News first reported the development.
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that likely started two months ago has killed more than 130 people and is expected to continue to grow, the World Health Organization said.
There is currently no approved vaccine or virus-specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, and any potential vaccine could take months to develop.
Six hundred suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths have been recorded so far, with confirmed cases also reported in neighboring Uganda. The WHO has classified the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern.
First responders have said they lack basic supplies needed to help contain the spread.
The San Diego-based Mapp focuses on vaccines and medicines for infectious diseases and previously developed an experimental Ebola drug, ZMapp, used during the 2014 outbreak.
On its website, the company says ZMapp has been discontinued and lists MBP134, an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment targeting multiple ebolaviruses including the Sudan species, in its pipeline.
(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru and Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
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