The Liberian government, in coordination with US medical personnel, has started formal patient testing of a possibly life-saving medicine for the Ebola virus. Until now, the drug known as ZMapp has only been given in emergency situations.

The drug was developed by the California based pharmaceutical company Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. It is made up of three different monoclonal antibodies that attach to the surface of an infected cell in order to stop the spread of the virus.

“Although ZMapp has been used to treat several Ebola-infected patients in recent months, we cannot determine if the drug actually benefited those patients because it was not administered within the context of a clinical trial,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

When ZMapp has been given to Ebola infected monkeys in previous studies, the medicine saved the animals from death within five days.

Liberian adults and children of any age who come to Ebola treatment units in Liberia will be administered the drug in addition to any US or Western European health care worker who has been infected with the virus.

“We don’t expect that they’ll be a significant contribution (of patients) from the United States,” said Dr. Fauci.

Moreover, the Ebola epidemic is waning in Liberia. It may be difficult to enroll the necessary 200 patients by the December 2016 deadline. The researchers are currently negotiating with government officials in Sierra Leone in order to test patients there.

While Sierra Leone has far more Ebola cases than Liberia, the two countries combined, plus Guinea have only had 99 reported cases this week, indicating the spread of the disease is declining. So far, the disease has infected 24,000 people and killed approximately 9,600.

“There is certainly a possibility that we may not get enough patients to finish” said Fauci. “You can be certain that sooner or later, we will see another outbreak in one or more of the African countries.”