A Treatment for the Common Cold? Satellite Feed
SUBJECT: Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announces results of first round
of testing of its drug to treat the common cold. Results are so promising
testing moves to next phase -- nasal spray could affect millions of cold
sufferers Ever wonder how they test a drug? Feed shows what vigorous testing
is like.
Do you get frequent colds? Are you one of the thirty million or more
people who suffer from asthma or bronchitis? Are you sneezing right now? You
may be interested in the results of Agouron's tests on its new nasal spray
being released this weekend at the II International Symposium on Influenza and
Other Respiratory Viruses.
Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. tested its investigational drug which at
this time only has the technical name of AG7088 on more than 200 people
sequestered for several days in hotel rooms across the country. The test
participants were first infected with colds -- human Rhinovirus -- and then
treated with the nasal spray.
The investigational drug reduced coughing, sneezing, runny noses and other
cold and respiratory symptoms as well as viral concentrations and cumulative
nasal mucous production significantly.
Rhinovirus is the most frequent cause of the common cold. Agouron was the
first company to solve the protein structure of Rhinovirus. Agouron's new
investigational drug has widespread applications because it is taken after you
are already sick. All other medications currently being tested require you to
take them before you are sick. Currently, there are no effective antiviral
drugs available to treat the common cold.
The feed contains a package, bites and b-roll including actual footage of
the testing of the drug including interviews with study participants -- mostly
college students sequestered for a week (who talk about why they are giving
up a weeks vacation) and show what rigorous drug testing is really like,
interviews with the two lead investigators in the study, Frederick Hayden
M.D. and Jack Gwaltney, Jr., M.D. of the University of Virginia. B-roll
includes footage of the participants being infected with the virus, nurses
waking participants and administering the drug, tissue samples being taken,
"snot" samples being taken, and lab footage showing the complicated protein
structure of the virus as well as an animation that shows how the
investigational drug works.
The drug is currently in the next phase of testing -- on people with real
colds who take the medication at home. Viewers who have been sick for less
than 36 hours can participate in the study for the next week (until 12/17/99)
by calling 1-877-STUFFY-1. The nasal spray is provided free of charge and
you will be reimbursed for time and travel.
This material is offered for your free and unrestricted use. For
questions, a fax of the script, hard copy videotapes or requests to be updated
with results, please call the contact below.
TO GET THE FEED:
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1999 MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1999
1:30-2:00 PM, ET 1:30-1:45 PM, ET
C BAND: Telstar 5, Transponder 16, C BAND: Telstar 5, Transponder
16,
Audio 6.2/6.8 Audio 6.2/6.8
Downlink frequency: 4020 Horizontal Downlink frequency: 4020
Horizontal
Contact: Susan Stolov of Washington Independent Productions, Inc.,
202-638-3400
A TREATMENT FOR THE COMMON COLD? SATELLITE FEED
AGOURON PHARMACEUTICALS INC. RELEASES RESULTS OF
TESTS ON NEW NASAL SPRAY TO TREAT SYMPTOMS OF
THE COMMON COLD
TOTAL RUN TIME:
SLATE: This material is provided for your free and unrestricted use by
Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Warner Lambert Company.
SLATE: Agouron is an integrated pharmaceutical company committed to the
discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of
innovative therapeutic products engineered to inactivate
proteins that play key roles in cancer, AIDS, and other serious
diseases.
SLATE: Package plus b-roll
SLATE: For more information contact:
Susan Stolov
202-638-3400
SLATE: Package soundbites:
SLATE: Jason Gibbs
Study Participant
SLATE: Frederick Hayden, M.D.
Lead Study Investigator
Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
SLATE: Jack M. Gwaltney, Jr., M.D.
Lead Study Investigator
Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
SLATE:
SUGGESTED LEAD: Agouron Pharmaceutical's new investigational drug to treat
common cold symptoms reduces coughing, sneezing and runny noses, if
testing continues to be positive, it may be the first drug available to
treat the common cold. Agouron will release (released) the results of its
drug study at a medical conference this weekend and it gives us a glimpse
of what rigorous drug testing is really like, Carolyn Gorman has more.
STORY SCRIPT (TRT: 1:46)
VIDEO AUDIO
Nat sound testing
"Good morning everybody..."
"He's got a little sneezing, a little runny nose, little
sore throat..."
These college students are spending their week of vacation
sequestered in a hotel room for the good of science and the
money they will be paid. They agreed to be infected with a
virus, medicated several times a day, have their mucous
collected and their tissues counted all to test a new drug
to treat the common cold.
Gibbs "It is just like a regular nose spray, if you've ever
Study had a, had a nose spray."
Participant
Hayden "This study is the first test of the effectiveness of a new
anti-viral approach to trying to either prevent or treat
Rhinovirus infections.
Rhinovirus which grows in your cells and
attacks other cells is the cause of 50 percent of all
colds. Agouron's investigational drug is being
tested to determine its activity in preventing the
virus from reproducing and spreading to other
cells."
Nat sound
nurses "Have you had to use a lot of tissues..."
Preliminary results from this first study show that the
nasal spray reduces sneezing, runny noses, and other cold
and respiratory symptoms as well as viral concentrations
and mucous production.
Gwaltney "This drug actually attacks the virus. It is designed to
stop the virus from multiplying in the nasal cells of the
person who's got the cold."
Nat sound
nurses "Sniff, really, inhale it good ..."
Agouron Pharmaceuticals says the drug -- if it continues to
test positive could have widespread applications especially
for the 30 million or so people with conditions like asthma
or bronchitis -- when they catch a cold it often has
serious consequences.
Carolyn Gorman reporting.
SLATE:
SUGGESTED CLOSE: And actually, Rhinovirus is also linked with middle ear
infections in children and sinus infections. Based on these positive
results, Agouron Pharmaceuticals has now taken the testing further.
They are looking for people at home with real colds. No you are not
sequestered in a hotel -- but you do take the medication which is
provided free. So, if you are sneezing or coughing and have been sick
for 36 hours or less and want to participate in the study call
877-STUFFY-1.
SLATE: Additional bites and b-roll
SLATE: Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc. was the first company to solve
the Rhinovirus 3C protein structure, an enzyme essential
for Rhinovirus replication. AG7088 is a synthetic compound
designed to inhibit the Rhinovirus 3C protease.
AG7088 was well tolerated in the study which is important
for a drug that could potentially be taken by millions of
people for the common cold which is considered a mild, but
uncomfortable illness.
There are approximately 100 strains of Rhinovirus and this
investigational drug has been tested and shown to be potent
against all strains tested so far.
SLATE: Rhinovirus infection starts in the epithelial cells of the
mucous membranes in your nose and is contagious. While
AG7088 is now being tested solely in the common cold,
Rhinovirus is linked to half of all sinus infections, about
one-third of middle ear infections in children and from
one-third to one-half of all asthma exacerbations in
children and adults.
SLATE: Agouron's investigational drug inhibits the reproduction of
virus after infection, according to preliminary results
from clinical trials.
This investigational compound targets the Rhinovirus 3C
protease, which is essential for Rhinovirus production.
This enzyme is present after the virus enters the cell and
infection has already occurred. Drugs being tested by
other groups target the outer coat of the virus so the
virus doesn't get into the cell.
Safety is an important issue when testing a treatment for
Rhinovirus. Scientists are hopeful about this
investigational treatment because the protease is only in
the virus and not present in human cells. So a drug that
attacks that particular viral protein should not affect
human cells.
SLATE: To participate in the study call:
877-STUFFY-1
Animation
"Here is how the common cold works. You breathe in a
virus and genetic material from the virus called RNA
enters one of your cells. In order for the virus to
reproduce, structural proteins produced from RNA interact
and create more of the virus -- which goes on to infect
other cells.
When you take the medicine, the structural proteins never
interact, no new virus is formed and the infected cell
does not infect other cells.
You either don't get sick or get better faster."
SLATE: Frederick Hayden, M.D.
Lead Study Investigator
Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
"Well currently there is no specific anti-viral prevention
or treatment available for Rhinovirus infections and it's
important to bare in mind that Rhinoviruses cause about
half of all common cold illness. They're linked to
acute-sinusitis, middle ear infections in children and
worsening of asthma and other underlying lung disease in
adults and children. So that an effective agent that
could either prevent or treat Rhinovirus infections could
have tremendous clinical usefulness."
"Well common colds are deceptively simple and you're
right, they're very frequent illnesses. The average
adult experiences 2-4 episodes a year. Children anywhere
from 6 to as many as 12 depending on their age. But
despite the apparent simplicity of the virus, and the
symptoms that occur, in fact it's a very complicated
cascade of events that's happening once the virus starts
the infection in the respiratory tract and to the point
where symptoms uh develop.
"We know now that Rhinoviruses are linked to a number of
complications uh perhaps as many as half of all sinusitis
episodes in adults, about 35% of middle car infections in
children, anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of asthma
exacerbation's in uh children and adults so that an agent
that could be effective in prevention or treatment of
Rhinovirus infections would not be limited to just cold
sufferers but could be used in a number of ways to reduce
very important medical problems associated with
Rhinovirus infection."
"If this agent proves to be useful in preventing or
treating colds in the general population as well as in
high risk patients it could open up a tremendous number
of possibilities, for real improvement in terms of
medical care."
SLATE: Jack M. Gwaltney, Jr., M.D.
Lead Study Investigator
Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
"One group of people will get the active drug and another
group gets a placebo which is an inert substance that
looks like the drug. They don't know what they're
getting during the study. We don't know what they are
getting and then when the results are all in, we break
the code and we see whether it worked or not."
"Well colds are a complicated disease because number one
they're a virus, they're caused by a virus and we haven't
had drugs to treat viruses until quite recently. We
still don't have very many. Uh, we couldn't' even grow
viruses in the laboratory until the '50's, so we didn't
even know specifically what was causing colds. But if
you look at this from an historical perspective people
have had colds from the beginning of recorded
civilization. Thousands of years. And it's only been
really in the last 50 years that we knew anything about
it and the amount of information we've acquired in the
last 50 years is phenomenal. So, really it's not that
progress is not being made, it's been made at a
tremendously rapid rate now that we have molecular
biology, virology, these new ways of uh, doing science.
Biological science which uh help us to understand certain
diseases like the common cold."
"Colds are mainly subjective. People feel the stopped-up
nose, the sneezing, the coughing, these various things.
But they're not good objective ways to measure these
things. And one objective measurement we have is the
amount of nasal fluid that's produced over a 24 hour
period, say. So that's what we're doing. We're
collecting tissues that have been used and uh we weigh
the tissues, subtract an equal number of un-used tissues
and then that allows us to determine how much nasal fluid
is being produced uh each day by the uh, individuals.
And we'll look at the group that is getting drug and
compare their average to those getting the placebo."
SLATE: Brad Duffy
Study Participant
"You never really think about just spending 5 days in one
room. It's sort of weird actually but I like it because
I get to do stuff I don't normally have time to do."
SLATE: Sarah Muenzenmayer
Study Participant
"Tell us why you are doing this? I'm going to London this
summer to study English and I could use the money."
"In the morning they wake us up they ask us our symptoms.
You know, if we've been coughing, sneezing, runny nose,
that sort of thing. They do a nasal wash, where I guess
they, I'm not really sure what the point of that is,
study our mucous I guess."
SLATE: For more information contact:
Susan Stolov
202-638-3400 |
