Globavir to seek approval and launch of novel Ebola treatment by year-end

Privately-held US biotech firm Globavir Biosciences said yesterday that it intends to develop its lead drug candidate, GBV006, for the treatment of the current Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa.

Globavir will seek approval for the use of GBV006, a combination of Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs, through an established compassionate use regulatory pathway. The discovery of the use of GBV006 for the treatment of infectious diseases was made at Stan ford University School of Medicine (Palo Alto, California). Globavir has the worldwide exclusive license to develop and market GBV006.

The component drugs of GBV006 - which have not been disclosed - have demonstrated efficacy against experimental models of Ebola infection at dosages already approved and well-tolerated by patients. GBV006 is effective at low micromolar concentrations against Ebola in vitro. By relying on thousands of patient years of established safety data, Globavir says it hopes to rapidly introduce GBV006 as an experimental treatment in helping to control the West Africa outbreak.