This advisory brief aims to provide anthropologically informed guidance to governmental and humanitarian actors involved in the Ebola response at local, national and international levels, about clinical trials for Ebola treatments, therapies and vaccines. It serves to (1) clarify and demystify some of the scientific and technical discussions around the numerous clinical trials; (2) revisit issues surrounding the compassionate use of experimental medications and therapies in and after an emergency; and (3) provide a summary of the cultural, institutional and historical factors that impact the organization of clinical trials in the three–‐ most affected countries, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. This brief summarizes discussions facilitated by the Emergency Ebola Anthropology Network in response to a Request for Information on clinical trials and blood donation.
