In China's continuing contribution in the global fight against Ebola, a Chinese pharmaceuticals company has bought rights from Chinese military to mass produce the drug found to likely cure the Ebola disease.
Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd, a top seller of prescription drugs to Chinese hospitals, has partnered with the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMA) to fast-track the approval of JK-05 anti-Ebola drug in China and eventually make it available in the market.
The drug is the most promising so far out of the over 15 experimental medicines being developed in laboratories in China. The AMMA-discovered JK-05 is currently approved for military use exclusively.
"We believe that we can file to the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) before the end of the year," Sihuan chairman Che Fengsheng said.
China's anti-Ebola drug, which has only been tested on mice, is still undergoing scrutiny through clinical trials. Its development started five years ago, and through tests, has been found to be effective against influenza and yellow fever.
Meanwhile, the United States already has two successful treatments for the Ebola disease. Unlike JK-05, ZMapp and TKM-Ebola have undergone tests on monkeys, which ensures a more positive immune response when used on humans.
Wang Hongquan, the Chinese doctor who invented JK-05, said that the drug would be used to treat Chinese nationals infected with Ebola in Africa. However, use on foreign nationals will require international approval.
According to Wang, the drug can be used to treat patients in case Ebola spreads in China.
"We can't rule out the possibility that it will spread to Asia. Particularly in China now we have lots of connections with different international cities and many people coming and going across our borders," Wang said.