Rethinking the development of Ebola treatments

In response to the current outbreak, the international community has endorsed the clinical use of unregistered treatments for Ebola. Even with this accelerated pathway to in-human testing and use, radically novel approaches to drug development will be needed to improve the likelihood that a treatment is realised. Bypassing steps in development does not alter the probability of success, and historical patterns in drug development suggest that there is a slim probability of success with the current portfolio of potential Ebola treatments (all of which are were in preclinical development prior to the outbreak)....