#controlled trials

Leading health experts urge the deployment of alternative trial designs to fast-track the evaluation of new Ebola treatments.Senior health professionals and medical ethicists, from Africa, Europe, and USA, argue that although randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide robust evidence in most circumstances, the lack of effective treatment options for Ebola, high mortality with the current standard of care, and the paucity of effective health care systems in the affected regions means that alternative trial designs need to be considered.