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The article discusses the medicinal value of ketamine. Topics mentioned include the claim of the World Health Organization's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, on not to place ketamine under international control as abuse of it does not pose a global public health threat, use of ketamine as a safe anaesthetic, and its role in veterinary medicine to provide pain relief in animals.

The article focuses on the ethical dilemma faced by public health officials regarding the drug trials for patients affected by the Ebola virus in West Africa. A discussion about trials to be conducted in Guinea and Liberia by U.S. researchers from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) is presented. Comments by Piero Olliaro, head of research on tropical diseases at the WHO are included.

The article reports on the recommendation of the World Health Organization's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence that ketamine must not be placed under international control and its recommendation will be put to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs for a final decision in March 2016.