testing done before new drug for ebola can be used

• pre-clinical trials of the new drug on cells to test toxicity, dosage and efficacy
• clinical trials on healthy volunteers and Ebola patients at very low doses so that you can monitor for safety
• only then do trials to find the optimum dosage and test for efficacy
• use of placebo which does not contain the new drug
• random allocation of Ebola patients to groups so no one knows who has placebo
• peer review of data to help prevent false claims