"From now on, we will no longer have to say Ebola is untreatable [if caught early enough]."

Background: Four treatments — ZMapp, mAb114, remdesivir (GS-5734), and REGN-EB3 (REGN3470-3471-3479) — began undergoing randomized, controlled testing on Nov. 20 through an international research consortium arranged by the World Health Organization and co-led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

What's new: NIAID director Anthony Fauci says the trial that ended Friday offered preliminary data showing mortality rates as follows: ZMapp at 49%, remdesivir at 53%, REGN-EB3 at 29%, and mAb114 was 34%. This compares with an estimated 67% overall mortality rate for untreated cases.

• "The early stopping criteria [of the trial] was met by Regeneron [REGN-EB3]," Fauci said, when compared to the control, ZMapp.
• Fauci warned that the numbers are still early: "More stringent data will be coming." For instance, roughly 15% of the participants in the study had received an experimental Ebola vaccine as well, and they aren't sure yet if that skewed the effect.
• Both drugs block a particular component of the virus, Fauci added.
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals developed REGN-EB3 using mouse-generated antibodies that were then produced in specialized bioreactors. NIAID developed mAb114 from antibodies from an Ebola survivor, and granted a license to Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

Meanwhile, as of Saturday, the WHO reported 2,816 cases (2,722 confirmed and 94 probable), including 1,888 deaths.

• WHO's Mike Ryan, who was also at the press briefing, warned that although "the news today is fantastic," the complex scenario of insecurity and community distrust on the ground requires renewed efforts by the international security to offer help to the region.
• "Too many people are not going to the Ebola Treatment Centers early enough," Ryan said, adding that he hopes the news will entice more people to come to ETCs earlier.
• All ETCs will start offering both treatments.

Go deeper:

• One year on — No end in sight for deadly Ebola outbreak
• There are tools to fight Ebola — but first people need to trust them
• Ebola treatment trials may begin, as worries grow over Congo outbreak

Editor's note: This piece was corrected to reflect the different ways the 2 treatments were developed (showing Regeneron did not use antibodies from an Ebola survivor).

The latest: Three more cases of Ebola were confirmed this week in Goma, bringing the total to 4 in the city.

• The World Health Organization issued a global health warning about the current outbreak earlier this month and advised travel bans are "counterproductive" in stopping the spread of the disease.
• Further exacerbating the turmoil is the resignation last week by Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga and the decision to shift leadership of the Ebola effort.
• Oxfam, an international nonprofit group working in the DRC, warns the recent cases in Goma and Uganda "show the devastating potential for it to spiral out of control."

There are several experimental vaccines for Ebola, but only one — made by Merck — is currently approved for use in DRC.

• Preliminary results indicate it has a high effectiveness but there are limited supplies for now. (Merck tells Axios it has donated more than 210,000 doses to WHO since last year, and forecasts providing another roughly 900,000 over the next 6 to 18 months).
• WHO and other groups have been recommending DRC test other vaccines, including one made by Johnson and Johnson's.
• But, while Merck's one-dose vaccine takes about 10 days to provide immunity to most people, Johnson and Johnson's two-dose vaccine isn't completely effective for about 56 days and presents logistical problems.
• The DRC agreed to halve each dose of Merck's vaccine (to 0.5mL), which doubled the supply while still being effective.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tells Axios that by halving the doses "we're not going to run out of vaccine for a while."

"The biggest challenge is insecurity," says Ben Dahl, who returned recently from the DRC where he served as response lead for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• It stems in part from skepticism in the community about the existence of the outbreak, suspicion of sudden international interest in the much-neglected region and rampant misinformation about Ebola treatment centers.
• This hinders efforts to contain the deadly virus by quarantining suspected cases and tracing, vaccinating and monitoring anyone who had contact with a person infected with the virus.

Another issue is the lack of financial tracking of funding for an outbreak "rumored to cost $1 million a day," says Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins' Center for Health Security.

• Uncertainty over how the new leadership at the ministry and the Ebola effort also complicate the scenario, although she says people are "optimistic so far."
• But, the strife over adding a second vaccine is "creating a worrisome scenario," she adds."There's a [vaccine] battle being set up here .... It will only fuel skepticism and exacerbate vaccine hesitancy."

Go deeper:

• USAID will send over $38 million to combat Congo's Ebola outbreak
• WHO amps up global Ebola warning after spread to big Congo city
• Ebola treatment distrust leading to greater likelihood of spread

Editor's note: This piece was corrected to show Oxfam is an international nonprofit group (not a consortium of NGOs).