Deadly virus returns

Ewww for sure and this:
bush meat and bats – a local delicacy – which appear to be the main agents for the outbreak.

That seems like it would be rife for disease just in itself.:eeew:
 

One of these days, we are going to get absolutely hammered by some obscure virus or bacteria.

Remember the name. Remember the date.

He is the first person known to have been infected with, and die from, a bacteria resistant to EVERY known antibiotic . This is just the start.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/11/end-abx/

For decades we have been dosing ourselves, our livestock, our pets, you name it, with antibiotics as if they were aspirin. We're getting ready to pay the price.

 
That is very sad for the people affected but I would have thought that big pharma would have a vaccine against Ebola by now.
 
nan said:
That is very sad for the people affected but I would have thought that big pharma would have a vaccine against Ebola by now.
Click to expand...

In the big picture Ebola, though highly lethal, is still considered a small opportunity for a pharma company to invest a lot of money. I think there is work being done in some research labs, e.g. USAMRIID, maybe CDC, because there are only 4 or 5 labs in the country that have BL4 level containment facilities suitable to handle that virus. The other reason that big pharma might not be so interested is, with so few cases of a disease, the chances of them recovering their expenses on R&D, trials, FDA clearances, etc. on such a limited volume product, make it unattractive to them. Also, with such a limited market and long time ROI, the product might be prohbitively expensive if developed by the commercial sector. Government and academic research labs, or some foundations like HHMI, that do not need to be worried about profit, are the most likely sources of a vaccine, which can then be commercialized by technology transfer.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top