Ebola Vaccines, Treatment and Solutions: The FDA Highlights its Role and Current Progress

In a recent article posted on its web site, the FDA addressed its position as part of a global response to the Ebola epidemic and outbreak and any potential threat to the public health. The article was written by Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. who serves as the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

In her article, Hamburg opens saying, “The tragic Ebola epidemic is an extraordinary global public health crisis, and FDA is taking extraordinary steps to be proactive and flexible in our response – whether it’s providing advice on medical product development, authorizing the emergency use of new diagnostic tools, quickly enabling access to investigational therapies, or working on the front lines in West Africa.”

While most are looking to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for guidance and solutions in the wake of the Ebola crisis, the FDA article points out that the agency has a dedicated Ebola Task Force to deal with the issues related to the potential threat.

“We are actively working with federal colleagues, the medical and scientific community, industry, and international organizations and regulators to help expedite the development and availability of medical products – such as treatments, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and personal protective equipment – with the potential to help bring the epidemic under control as quickly as possible.”

Among the collaborative efforts underway by the FDA are those supporting, “commercial developers and U.S. government agencies that support medical product development, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Department of Defense (DoD).”

For those interested in the progress working toward Ebola vaccines and treatments, the FDA points out that they are very involved in working with drug, vaccine, device, and diagnostic test developers, to help speed solutions to market. The agency indicated that they are currently in contact with more than 20 sponsors that have possible products to treat of help prevent Ebola in development.

In addition to its work in the U.S., the FDA has been collaborating with the World Health Organization and other international regulatory counterparts, from Europe, Canada, and other parts of the world, exchanging information about investigational products for Ebola treatment and vaccines.

The complete article is available to read online at the FDA web site: http://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/2014/10/fda-as-part-of-a-coordinated-global-response-on-ebola/?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#sthash.Dnd7kidr.dpuf