New drug promises to cure `incurable` common cold

Zee Media Bureau

London: British researchers have engineered a new compound, which can prevent people from catching the cold virus by blocking its transmission to others.

The very same compound can also be used against potentially fatal illnesses including polio and hand, foot and mouth disease, which have caused thousands of deaths worldwide.

This is how the compound works: It first binds itself to the virus, paralyzes it and prevents it from releasing the genetic material that causes the infection.

Dave Stuart, lead researcher from the University of Oxford, said that there are currently a number of drugs effective against the flu, but drugs which can ward of diseases like common cold, polio and hand, foot and mouth disease aren't available.

Stuart further said the compound could help improve polio vaccines to help global efforts in eradicating the disease once and for all and if tests continue to give positive results, he hopes it will lead to the development of a drug that could finally treat and prevent people catching colds.

(With Agency inputs)