December 21, 2001 – Have we finally discovered a miracle cure for the common cold? This is what scientists who have developed a new drug to combat it seem to think: pleconaril.
The advantage of this new drug will lie (because it is not yet available on the market) in one essential point: it attacks the virus itself while all other drugs treat the symptoms. Therefore, it will shorten the time it takes for symptom relief (runny nose, stuffy nose, sore throat, sneezing, headache and chills) to be relieved by one day and start working the day after taking it.1
Unlike bacteria, viruses cannot replicate on their own. It therefore needs to enter cells to multiply. Pleconaril works by preventing viruses of the rhinovirus family from attaching to and entering cells in the respiratory system. So it cannot reproduce and the infection will spread.
The only side effect observed was a slight temporary increase in cholesterol levels. The drug is currently awaiting approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will be sold under prescription. It would also act on viruses causing meningitis, certain middle ear infections, enteroviral infections in newborns and immunosuppressions.
The fact remains that pleconaril is not yet the miracle solution, but constitutes a new step in the treatment of the common cold. In the meantime, for an informed choice among the different symptom relief approaches, a better understanding of this infection and information on prevention, you can consult our cold sheet.
Élisabeth Mercader – PasseportSanté.net
According to InteliHealth, December 17, 2001
1. Romero JR. Pleconaril: a novel antipicornaviral drug. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2001 Feb; 10 (2): 369-79
