Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced this week that it would take part in an experimental treatment for the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) currently being pursued by international cooperation.
Their involvement focuses on ZMapp, a treatment that utilizes three antibodies as part of its attack pattern. The treatment was previously studied for such purposes in 2014-2016 but is once again under the microscope as an Expanded Access Protocol (EAP) in both the United States and Africa as a means of treating those with confirmed cases and for further safety and pharmacokinetic assessment.
“While there are currently no patients with Ebola in the United States, having ready access to experimental therapeutics such as ZMapp has been a priority for MGH, in our role as the Regional Ebola and Other Special Pathogens Treatment Center (RESPTC),” said Dr. Erica Shenoy, associate chief of the MGH Infection Control Unit and the study’s local principal investigator. “In recent years we’ve seen an increased push to find effective treatments, and we recognize the importance of contributing to those efforts by making ZMapp available to patients if needed and advancing its further study.”
Patients at MGH will be assessed to see if they meet the criteria for enrollment in ZMapp trials, during which their clinical responses would be studied. The hospital has already undertaken administration protocols and training surrounding the process of administration of the therapeutic. It is working with the National Ebola Training and Education Center’s Special Pathogens Research Network on these trials.