The idea of taking a simple pill to cure one of the world’s deadliest diseases is counterintuitive (even though nothing in the world is “simple”). Yet that’s exactly what a cure for Ebola could soon become. In a context where this virus continues to pose a deadly threat to entire populations, with mortality rates that can reach 90%, a group of researchers in Texas have developed a drug that promises to completely revolutionize the therapeutic approach.
Is called Obelisk, and unlike current treatments that require intravenous administration and cold chains, this Ebola cure can be swallowed like a regular pill. The preliminary results are astonishing: up to 100% survival in primate tests. A breakthrough that could radically change our ability to respond to epidemics of hemorrhagic viruses.
Ebola Cure, Surprising Results in Primates
The research published in the magazine Science Advances last Friday shows data that are incredible. I rhesus macaques ), they showed a 100% survival rate when treated with obeldesivir. I cynomolgus macaques, another species used in the study, have achieved 80% survival.
The drug, administered just one day after infection, has been shown not only to delay the replication of the virus, but also to enhance the adaptive immune response of animals, stimulating the production of specific antibodies.
For epidemic response, oral antivirals may have substantial advantages over the now-approved intravenous drugs, such as ease of procurement, storage, distribution, and administration.
This is what researchers at theUniversity of Texas Medical Branch in their paper, highlighting the enormous practical potential of this discovery.
A versatile weapon against multiple viruses
Particularly promising is the versatility of obeldesivir. Previous work by the same researchers They have demonstrated the effectiveness of the drug against the Sudan virus, the second most common Ebola species. In January, the team also found that the drug protects primates from Marburg virus, another deadly cousin of Ebola (an outbreak of Marburg has killed at least 10 people in Tanzania this year).
Obeldesivir is essentially an oral version of remdesivir, the antiviral originally developed to treat COVID-19. This pharmacological relationship has helped accelerate the development and understanding of its mechanism of action.
Ebola Cure, Why It's So Important
To understand the significance of this discovery, it is important to remember how devastating Ebola is. The virus initially causes flu-like symptoms, but can rapidly progress to cause widespread organ damage and severe internal bleeding that spills out of the body, a condition known as hemorrhagic fever.
During the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa, Zaire virus infected nearly 30.000 people and killed more than 11.000. Although there are now approved vaccines and treatments for some Ebola species, vaccine supplies are limited, and current antibody therapies must be stored cold and administered intravenously, limiting their availability and utility.
The ease of administration of obeldesivir would therefore represent a huge logistical advantage, especially in remote areas where these outbreaks tend to occur most frequently.
The path to approval
Of course, further research will be needed to validate the potential of the drug in humans. However, the results in primates are extremely encouraging, considering the physiological similarity with humans.
If confirmed in clinical trials, obeldesivir could become an indispensable tool in the fight against Ebola and other hemorrhagic viruses, transforming currently terrifying diseases into much more manageable conditions. A small pill that could save thousands of lives.
