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Biotech / Medical : GUMM - Eliminate the Common Cold -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Madeleine Harrison who wrote (594)	5/18/1999 8:04:00 PM
From: caly	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5582

I never heard zinc mentioned. I wish I had paid closer attention, but it definitely talked about receptors and how the virus enters your body through the nasal passages. I did a websearch on the stuff and couldn't find it. I THINK I'm spelling it right in the post, but am not sure. It was in print on the segment once, but it diagonal across the screen and a little difficult to read. Oh, they also said the Journal of American Medicine writing it up. Anyone out on the West Coast who can watch Dan Rather tonight? Claudia?

To: Madeleine Harrison who wrote (594)	5/18/1999 8:41:00 PM
From: caly	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 5582

Found something on the JAMA site... ama-assn.org "Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of intranasal administration of tremacamra in experimental rhinovirus colds in humans." "Conclusion: Tremacamra reduced the severity of experimental rhinovirus colds. Whether tremacamra will be useful clinically will require further study." NEW AGENT EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING SEVERITY OF EXPERIMENTAL COLDS Further study needed to determine clinical usefulness CHICAGO — Intranasal administration of a drug called tremacamra is effective in reducing the symptoms of an experimental common cold, according to an article in the May 19 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Ronald B. Turner, M.D., from the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C., and colleagues studied the efficacy and safety of tremacamra for treatment of rhinovirus, a virus that causes the common cold. Tremacamra is a recombinant soluble molecule that adheres to the same cellular receptor to which the rhinovirus adheres, theoretically blocking the virus from adhering to the cell. This study represents the first human trial to test the effectiveness of tremacamra in rhinovirus infections. The study analyzed the results of four randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials that initially included 196 subjects between the ages of 18 and 60 years. The subjects were given tremacamra (as intranasal solution or powder) initially either before or after inoculation with a cold virus. "Tremacamra was effective in reducing the symptoms of experimental common colds," the authors write. "This reduction in symptoms was apparent regardless of whether the drug was given before or after the challenge with the virus. This study demonstrates the feasibility of receptor blockade as prophylaxis of common cold symptoms. The effect of this drug on symptom severity when given after symptoms have begun or on the complications associated with the common cold remains to be determined." The researchers found that total symptom score for the group given tremacamra was reduced by 45 percent, the proportion of subjects with clinical colds was reduced by 23 percent and the total amount of nasal mucus was reduced by 56 percent. The mean daily symptom score was significantly lower in the tremacamra-treated subjects on each of the study days, 1 through 7. The reduction in symptom score was a result of a consistent reduction in all of the symptoms assessed during the study, according to the authors. According to the authors, the common cold is associated with significant complications, especially ear infections, sinusitis and exacerbation of asthma. Rhinoviruses are typically the cause of colds; however, efforts to treat and prevent colds by interfering with rhinovirus infection generally have been unsuccessful. The multitude of rhinovirus serotypes render vaccinations useless and a safe and effective antiviral has yet to be developed. Receptor blockade, such as that delivered by tremacamra, brings new possibilities to rhinovirus research, though the authors state that it remains to be determined whether treatment with tremacamra after the onset of symptoms will have a beneficial effect on viral replication and illness. They add that whether tremacamra will be useful clinically will require further study. (JAMA. 1999;281:1797-1804) Editorial: The Common Cold: Closer to a Cure? In an accompanying editorial, Kenneth McIntosh, M.D., of Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, writes that not all colds are induced by rhinoviruses and that even though there are diagnostic tools for identifying viral causes for respiratory tract infections, these diagnostic tools would not likely be practical for outpatient or office use in the near future. Therefore, if tremacamra is shown to be effective for clinical use, it may be better to restrict its use to those times when rhinoviruses are known to be most common, particularly in the fall and spring. The best treatment for colds may ultimately prove to be anti-inflammatory drugs combined with antiviral therapy. "Despite the encouraging findings of the study by Turner et al, it is clear that the 'cure for the common cold' is still not in hand," writes Dr. McIntosh. "Tremacamra appears to be a promising candidate, however, and researchers and clinicians may be a little closer to the goal. The next step will be determining whether tremacamra can be used to treat symptomatic rhinovirus infection or to prevent clinical colds in the field. Only then may the elusive holy grail of an effective cure for the common cold truly be in sight." (JAMA. 1999;281:1844-1845) Note: Funding for the Turner study was provided by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ridgefield, Conn. Dr. Turner and Frederick G. Hayden, M.D. (one of the co-authors), are ad hoc consultants to Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Hayden also has been an ad hoc consultant for Bayer Pharmaceuticals, West Haven, Conn.