In 2014 the Ebola virus killed almost 8000 people in Africa. Drug companies have developed a new drug to treat Ebola. Explain what testing must be done before this new drug can be used to treat people. – 7027

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1. First, scientists test the drug on cells, tissues or animals. This is called a pre-clinical trial. They check if the drug is safe (toxicity), how much to give (dosage), and if it works (efficacy).
   Next, they test it on healthy people and then on sick patients (like those with Ebola) using very small doses. This is to check for side effects and make sure it’s safe.
   Then, they do more trials to find the best dose and see how well it works.
   They often use a double-blind trial – some people get the real drug and others get a placebo (a fake drug). No one knows who got what, to keep it fair. People are put into groups randomly.
   other scientists peer review the data to make sure the results are real and not false.

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