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

To: out_of_the_loop who wrote (611)	5/19/1999 2:07:00 AM
From: Mad2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5582

Here's a summary of the search results on Tremacamra from the past 90 days. I'll post 1 or 2 of the full length reports. Your search produced 8 documents. AP Online, May 18, 1999; Tuesday, 23:05 Eastern Time, Domestic, non-Washington, general news item, 786 words, AP Top News at 11 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 18, 1999 AP-NewsBrief ,0874, SUZANNE ROWLAND AP Worldstream, May 18, 1999; Tuesday, 18:28 Eastern Time, International news, 219 words, Drug cuts sneezing and wheezing in half, study finds MED-US-Cold Remedy,0238, CHICAGO AP Online, May 18, 1999; Tuesday, 18:24 Eastern Time, Domestic, non-Washington, general news item, 218 words, Drug Cuts Sneezing, Wheezing AP-Cold-Remedy ,0239, CHICAGO United Press International, May 18, 1999, Tuesday, BC cycle, -16:24 Eastern Time, Domestic News, 598 words, New drug cuts cold misery UPI Science News, CHICAGO, May 18 The Associated Press, May 18, 1999, Tuesday, AM cycle, Domestic News, 217 words, Drug cuts sneezing and wheezing in half, study finds, CHICAGO The Associated Press State & Local Wire, May 18, 1999, Tuesday, AM cycle, State and Regional, 230 words, Experimental drug may offer cold relief, study finds, CHICAGO The Associated Press State & Local Wire, May 18, 1999, Tuesday, AM cycle, State and Regional, 216 words, Drug cuts sneezing and wheezing in half, study finds, CHICAGO Agence France Presse, May 17, 1999, Domestic, non-Washington, general news item, 376 words, New drug may help treat common cold

To: out_of_the_loop who wrote (611)	5/19/1999 2:11:00 AM
From: Mad2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5582

Here's the most detailed of the articles Copyright 1999 U.P.I. United Press International May 18, 1999, Tuesday, BC cycle -16:24 Eastern Time SECTION: Domestic News LENGTH: 598 words HEADLINE: New drug cuts cold misery UPI Science News DATELINE: CHICAGO, May 18 BODY: It may not be a cure for the common cold, but a new medicine in a nose spray appears to cut cold misery by half, say South Carolina scientists. Despite promising study results, however, the company developing the cold-fighting drug says it has been shelved indefinitely, to divert research funding to other projects. Tests of the genetically engineered medicine, called tremacamra, showed that it reduced all cold symptoms by 45 percent and runny noses by about 56 percent, says Dr. Ronald B. Turner, head of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the Medical University of South Carolina at Charleston. ''These are the first human trials of a new technique for fighting colds,'' Turner said. Unlike other illness-fighting methods, which involve attacking the virus or fighting the inflammatory symptoms, the new drug works like a decoy, drawing the virus away from target molecules in the nose, he says. The results of the studies, conducted on 177 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 60, are published in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, published in Chicago. The study was sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Ridgefield, Conn. -- the company that makes the drug. The firm has been studying the drug since 1994. The volunteers studied at MUSC were first exposed to the cold virus, and given the drug -- in a wet or dry form -- 12 hours later. Another group, studied by Turner's colleagues at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, were treated seven hours after they were infected with cold viruses. Both groups were compared to patients who were exposed to the virus but given only a placebo. Scientists then asked the subjects if they had any or all of the eight most common cold symptoms, including sneezing, stuffy nose, sore throat, headache, chilliness and malaise. The volunteers were then asked to rate how bad they felt. The investigators also measured nasal secretions by collecting and weighing all the tissues used by each volunteer. They then subtracted the weight of unused tissues to those heavy with mucus, he says. Turner says the studies only looked at patients before symptoms started, and he says further research would be needed to show if the medicine works after the suffering begins. In an editorial accompanying the study, Kenneth McIntosh of Boston's Harvard Medical School calls Turner's results encouraging. He says further research is needed to show if the drug will work as well after symptoms show up. Also, there are about 100 different strains of rhinovirus, and this study focused on only one of them. It is unknown whether the drug will work as well on different virus types, and if it will prevent colds under everyday conditions. Turner says it is clear that a cure for the common cold is still not in hand. Turner also said his group has no immediate plans for pursuing further work with tremacamra, because Boehringer Ingelheim has backed off. He says, ''At this point, we're stalled.'' A spokeswoman for the company, Pam DeMala, says that the development of the drug has been put on hold, because other compounds being developed by the firm showed more potential, and appeared to be more worthy of research dollars. She says, ''It fell to a lower priority.'' In a statement, the company said it hasn't ruled out continuing development of the molecule in the future. (Written by Mara Bovsun in New York City) --- Copyright 1999 by United Press International All rights reserved --- LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: May 18, 1999

To: out_of_the_loop who wrote (611)	5/19/1999 2:16:00 AM
From: Mad2	Respond to of 5582

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