This one represents a abridged version of the story. Tremacamra doesn't seem to be presented as a comercially viable product, more a research curiosity. While now is a lousey time of year to promote cold remidies this should help (awareness) Zicam more than hurt. May not do anything.
Mad2
Copyright 1999 Associated Press
AP Worldstream
May 18, 1999; Tuesday 18:28 Eastern Time
SECTION: International news
DISTRIBUTION: Europe;Britian;Scandinavia;Middle East;Africa;India;England;Asia
LENGTH: 219 words
HEADLINE: Drug cuts sneezing and wheezing in half, study finds MED-US-Cold Remedy,0238
DATELINE: CHICAGO
BODY:
A cure for the common cold might exist.
An experimental cold remedy called tremacamra cut sneezing, runny noses and congestion nearly in half, researchers reported in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.
But whether the drug will work on the many viruses known to cause colds has yet to be determined.
All 177 volunteers who participated in the study were given the same cold bug type 39 rhinovirus, said researchers led by Dr. Ronald B. Turner of the Medical University of South Carolina.
Rhinoviruses commonly cause colds, but at least 100 subtypes of rhinoviruses exist; many colds are caused by other viruses such as cornaviruses and flu.
Tremacamra works by blocking rhinoviruses from attaching to one particular molecule on the outside of cells that the virus needs for a biological anchor.
The drug was inhaled daily as a nasal spray or nasal powder for several days at about the time the people were infected.
An expert not associated with the study, which was funded by tremacamra manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, said it should encourage further research.
But real-world effectiveness and long-term safety need to be established, said the expert, Dr. Kenneth McIntosh of Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: May 18, 1999
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