Two U.S. citizens infected with the Ebola virus
while in Liberia were the first recipients of
ZMapp, an experimental treatment created by
Mapp Biopharmaceutical and LeafBio to help
fight the sometimes-deadly virus. The patients,
both aid workers, appear to be improving after
receiving ZMapp, but questions remain about the
drug, created with tobacco plants, which had
previously been tested only on primates.
How Does The ZMapp Ebola Treatment Work?
The ZMapp cocktail fuses the MB-003 and
ZMAb Ebola treatments. Created by California-
based Mapp Biopharmaceutical, MB0-003 was
shown to offer 100 percent protection to monkeys
from Ebola when it was administered to the
animals immediately after they were exposed to
the virus. ZMapp offered monkeys a 100 percent
survival rate a full day after exposure and 50
percent after two days, NBC News reported.
ZMapp combines the “best components” of the
two treatments, says a ZMapp information sheet
recently posted on the Mapp Bio site.
Since the antibodies present in the serum were
taken from mice exposed to Ebola, the drug is
known as a three-mouse monoclonal antibody
mixture, Forbes reports. Ideally, the body’s
immune system can vigilantly fight off the virus
once the antibodies from the serum are present in
the blood system. The treatment offers an artificial
immune response to the virus, and the lab-made
antibodies then fight the infection by sticking to
the Ebola virus.
What Does Tobacco Have To Do With The
Treatment?
The artificial antibodies used in the treatment are
created from a tobacco-plant strain found in
Australia. The plants are altered specifically for
the serum and then harvested and ground into the
green mix used in the serum doses, says the
Washington Post. The plants serve as an ideal
place to grow the massive amounts of the
antibodies needed for the treatment. Speaking to
Bloomberg, Charles Arntzen, a plant
biotechnology expert at Arizona State
University, says that the genes of the antibodies
scientist want are fused to the tobacco genes,
infecting the tobacco with the virus. The plant
produces antibodies that are subsequently
separated from the plant when it is ground up.
Why Is It Available Only In The U.S.?
Since the antibodies used in the treatment are
created at Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s plant in
Kentucky, the small amount of the ZMapp that
exists is located in the United States. The process
to create the treatment is extremely expensive and
the serum remains in an experimental stage.
Could The Treatment Work On A Larger Scale?
Medical professionals say that ZMapp could in
theory be used to combat the Ebola outbreak in
West Africa. But officials continue to remind
people that other than the two American patients,
no human testing has been done with the vaccine
and it has not been approved to be used on
humans in North America or anywhere else.
Producing enough ZMapp for human trials would
take at least two months.
How Did The U.S. Patients Get Access To
ZMapp?
In order for the two Americans to receive the
ZMapp treatment, it is believed the FDA expedited
the process needed to approve human testing of an
experimental drug, CNN reports. This could have
been completed under the FDA’s “compassionate
use” regulation, which offers experimental drugs
to be used outside of clinical trials. Dr. Kent
Brantly received his first dose of the serum after
being ill for nine days. Nancy Writebol received
her dose around 7-10 days after being exposed to
the Ebola virus. The serum was flown to the
hospital in Liberia where both Brantly and
Writebol were receiving treatment.
Is The ZMapp Treatment Safe?
Medical professionals continue to stress that the
ZMapp hasn’t been approved for human trials and
that potential side effects remain unknown.
Doctors working with Brantly and Writebol say
their conditions have improved since taking
ZMapp. But there is no way to immediately
connect the patients’ improvement to the vaccine.
Their improvement could be the result of their
immune systems naturally combating the virus.
WHO Panel Could Brand Ebola An
International Emergency....... God save us

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