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By Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Miles
GENEVA, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday experts had agreed that blood-derived drug therapies and serum from survivors may be used for treatment of Ebola virus, and called for investment in the experimental drugs.
"There is a real opportunity that blood-derived products can be used now. This can be very effective in terms of treating patients," WHO assistant director-general Marie-Paule Kieny told a news conference.
"With the negative point that we have so many patients, one positive point is there are also many people now who are convalescent, who survived and are doing well, These people can provide blood, serum to treat," she said.
"What is available will be used in the field to treat real patients as soon as possible."
Two "promising" Ebola vaccines have also been identified, and safety results from clinical trials in the United States, Europe and Africa may be available from this November, paving the way for their use, Kieny said.
The two vaccines are made by GlaxoSmithKline Plc and NewLink Genetics, according to WHO documents submitted to the two-day talks attended by nearly 200 experts. "These must be prioritised in terms of clinical development," Kieny said.
When the initial results are received on the vaccines' safety, expected in November, they will be given to health care workers in the field as a priority, with their informed consent, she said.
"If we have good safety data, if the results are positive, they will start to be used in health care workers in order to protect and also to evaluate if it protects them," Kieny said. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Miles; writing by Stephanie Nebehay; editing by Andrew Roche)
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