Singapore: Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group, a China-based drugmaker, recently announced that it has developed a drug for the Ebola virus. 

The company said in a statement that they have developed a drug called JK-05 in collaboration with the Institute of Microbiological Epidemiology. The drug has been approved only for emergency military purposes.

Sihuan mentioned that the drug has to undergo clinical trials. In early studies the drug has shown promise against certain diseases such as influenza and yellow fever. The drug JK-05 has already been tested on mice for safety and efficacy.

Sihuan's chairman Mr Che Fengsheng said during an investor call, "We believe that we can file for approval with the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) before the end of the year." Mr Wang Hongquan, the Chinese military doctor, who invented the drug said that once approved, the African people afflicted due to the deadly outbreak would be the first beneficiaries of JK-05.

Meanwhile World Health Organization has issued a warning that unless drastic measures are taken, the epidemic may dramatically worsen as the fatality rate has now increased to a whopping 70 percent. The health governing body said that there had been 1000 cases of Ebola per week in the last four weeks.