Ebola and the need for restructuring pharmaceutical incentives

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has claimed the lives of over 9000 people largely due to a combination of poor health care infrastructure in affected countries, traditional beliefs and cultural practices, including the consumption of bushmeat and certain burial rituals that have amplified transmission, and the lack of therapeutic interventions such as medications and vaccinations [1,2]. Ebola virus was discovered in 1976, and since then there have been over 30 outbreaks, the majority occurring in SubSaharan Africa, yet development of medications has been negligible [3]. Moreover, while the current epidemic has spurred a new race to develop Ebola vaccines and treatment regimens, the current patent system makes it unlikely that people in the most afflicted nations will have access to such vaccines or medications when they are brought to market without the assistance of development aid initiatives from the United Nations (UN), World Health Organization, the GAVI Alliance and other multinational global entities.