Ralpancizumab

Ralpancizumab is a monoclonal antibody designed for the treatment of Ebola virus disease. It is one of the three antibodies present in the Ebola virus drug Inmazeb, which was approved by the FDA in October 2020.

History

Ralpancizumab was developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals as part of their antibody cocktail for the treatment of Ebola virus disease. The drug was granted Orphan Drug status by the FDA in 2016, and it was included in the PALM trial, a clinical study conducted during the 2018–20 Kivu Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mechanism of action

Ralpancizumab works by binding to the glycoprotein on the surface of the Ebola virus, preventing the virus from entering human cells. This stops the virus from replicating and spreading throughout the body.

Clinical trials

In the PALM trial, patients treated with Inmazeb, which includes ralpancizumab, had a lower risk of death compared to those treated with other experimental treatments. The trial found that 33.5% of patients treated with Inmazeb died after 28 days, compared to 51% of patients treated with ZMapp.

Approval

In October 2020, the FDA approved Inmazeb for the treatment of Ebola virus disease in adult and pediatric patients, including newborns of mothers who have tested positive for the disease. This marked the first FDA approval of a drug for the treatment of Ebola.

See also

• Monoclonal antibodies
• Ebola virus disease
• Inmazeb
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
• 2018–20 Kivu Ebola outbreak