First US Ebola victim remembered for compassion

[magical thyme]

20. I am aware of that as well. In vitro, it prevents replication.

Zmapp is not gone forever and there are a number of experimental drugs to choose from right now. The 2 nurses are getting 2 different ones, one of which iirc is also designed to prevent binding with cell membranes. The nurse's aide in Spain got Zmap -- a precursor to Zmapp -- and has passed the critical 15-day point, is producing antibodies and showing reduced viral levels, so apparently in slow recovery now.

And Dr. Sacra is recuperating, although yes, I know, he also got plasma from Brantly. And he also got treated more quickly than Duncan -- from the first onset of symptoms -- and ultimately at a BSL-4 hospital.

Although plasma from recovered patients had high success the first time it was tried, use during subsequent outbreaks showed mixed results. It's also in the "better than nothing" category at this point.

Edited to add that Dr. Sacra did not receive the same drug as Duncan. Sacra received TKM-Ebola from a Canadian lab and was developed specifically for Ebola and has had limited testing in monkeys with good success. Duncan received Brincidofovir, which is an antiviral used for several other viruses, has been tested in humans for those viruses, but has only been tested in vitro for Ebola.

Iirc, they chose Brincidofovir in large part because it's human safety record. TKM-Ebola had immune system side effects at high levels in human safety trials. He received treatment late in the disease when he was very fragile, so presumably they were looking something that wouldn't complicate his symptoms.