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Chinese drug companies develop Ebola antibody

Updated : 2015-04-17

A Chinese-made Ebola antibody successfully cured an infected patient at London Royal Free Hospital. The antibody was jointly developed by the Military Medical Sciences Academy, and the Mabworks Biotech Co.,and Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., two companies in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as E-town.

After the outbreak in West Africa last year, the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the PLA General Logistics Department immediately asked for R&D and production of drugs against Ebola. The three parties joined hands, finished research work for MIL77 and developed samples for more than 100 people in three months. The antibody smoothly passed the national safety test, and the program’s success spoke volumes about China's efficiency in antibody research, marking the first time that a Chinese-made antibody was applied to patients in developed Western countries.

MIL77 proved to be safe and effective, with less serious side effects than similar products from the United States. At present, the World Health Organization, Canada, the UK, and Doctors Without Borders have expressed interest in the antibody.