Nigerian Patients to Be Given Experimental Drug made by a Nigerian

Ebola victims in the Nigerian commercial capital Lagos will receive an experimental drug called Nano Silver, Nigeria's top health official said Thursday, in a step that introduces a new untested treatment to the fight against an outbreak in several West African countries.

Nigeria's Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, told reporters that the experimental drug came from a Nigerian scientist, but he refused to disclose the scientist's name. He said the drug, which was on its way to Lagos, would aim to treat the eight Nigerians who have tested positive for Ebola.

The World Health Organization opened the door for experimental Ebola drugs earlier this week, after a panel of ethicists it convened condoned such treatments because of the challenges controlling an outbreak that's killed more than 1,000 people. A handful of medications and vaccines have been developed, but not tested on humans.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/nigerian-ebola-patients-to-be-given-experimental-drug-1408034006

But now, despite the experimental drug getting approval for use by the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is claiming that Nanosilver is a pesticide

From Reuters

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it has become aware of products being sold online that fraudulently claim to prevent or treat Ebola.

    The FDA's warning comes on the heels of comments by Nigeria's top health official, Onyebuchi Chukwu, who reportedly said earlier Thursday that eight Ebola patients in Lagos, the country's capital, will receive an experimental treatment called nano-silver.

    Silver has been used as an antibacterial for centuries. Tiny silver particles known as nano-silver have controversially been incorporated into a variety of consumer products such as socks and bedding to help block odors caused by bacteria and mold.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers nano-silver a pesticide. Manufacturers of products that contain it must register them with the agency.

Nano-silver is also sometimes sold online as a dietary supplement even though Danish researchers found in a recent study that nano-silver can penetrate and damage cells. lindaikeji.blogspot.com/2014/08/ebola-experimental-drug-nanosilver-is.html