Drug shows promise against common cold

March 15, 2001
Web posted at: 2:48 p.m. EST (1948 GMT)

From Rhonda Rowland
CNN Medical Correspondent

(CNN) -- Two major studies suggest that a new drug can shorten the duration of the common cold and reduce symptoms, researchers said Thursday.

Pleconaril, manufactured by ViroPharma, appears to cut one day off the length of the typical cold, and can lessen the severity of the muscle weakness, nasal congestion, runny nose, cough and sore throat that accompany the illness.

The treatment appeared to help Jamie Garris, one of more than 2,000 people who participated in the research.

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A student at the University of Virginia, Garris signed up for the trial so her cold wouldn't cause her to fall behind in her studies.

"I'm hoping that it will get rid of this cold sooner than if I wasn't on any kind of a treatment," she said at the time.

After five days, Garris said her cold was completely gone. Typically, her colds last a full week, she added.

Pleconaril is a pill taken three times a day for five days. It appears to work against two common types of cold virus, rhinovirus and enterovirus, essentially stopping them from replicating.

"Pleconaril actually attaches into a pocket within the protein shell of the virus, and by doing so, it either prevents the virus from attaching to host cells or from opening up inside the cell," explained Dr. Frederick Hayden of the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

No serious side effects were detected in the studies.

ViroPharma plans to apply for marketing approval for Pleconaril this summer. If approved, the drug could be available by prescription next year.

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Pleconaril
NIAID Fact Sheet: The Common Cold
MEDLINEplus: Common Cold
Common Cold Centre - Cardiff UK

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