This article is from the WebMD News Archive
Cure for the Common Cold ... The Elusive Search
Jan. 27, 2000 (New York) -- It's coming.
Although a cure for the common cold has eluded the nation's top scientists for decades, some research shows investigators are getting closer -- and it's about time.
Each year, Americans suffer through one billion colds, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md. Children catch up to 10 colds a year, while adults average up to four; the yearly economic burden through lost work days is around $5 billion.
"The main reason that our search for a cure is still going on is because there are at least 200 different viruses that cause colds, so to come up with a single drug or vaccine that attacks them all is extremely difficult," Michael Macknin, MD, chairman of general pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic, tells WebMD. "But the concept of a generalized antiviral is promising. Generalized antivirals will be the way to go when they come out, especially the broad-based antivirals that are effective against multi-viruses," he says.
In theory, generalized antiviral drugs would attack entire families of viruses.
One such drug, Pleconaril, may be on the market to treat viral meningitis by the end of the year. Preliminary studies suggest that Pleconaril fights a whole family of viruses called picornaviruses, including those that cause the common cold.
Another family of viruses, known as rhinoviruses, causes an estimated 35% of colds. Cold viruses enter the body through any mucous membrane such as the eyes, nose, or mouth. The virus then attaches itself to cells, where it sends out signals to emit a wide range of often-miserable cold symptoms.
Some other promising research has shown that rhinoviruses attach to a receptor before gaining entry into nasal cells. Researchers are currently developing a nasal spray that prevents the virus from attaching to the receptors, but it's not on the market yet.
"Every year we have a 'breakthrough' and everyone gets excited and then it cools off, [but] within the next two or three years we will have the first of something that may be helpful in preventing the common cold virus," Linda B. Ford, MD, an allergist/immunologist in Omaha, Neb., and past president of the American Lung Association, tells WebMD.
"Pleconaril is currently the closest to the market. In the next 10 years, however, there will be Pleconaril plus two or three others," she says.
"I don't foresee a vaccine because the cold virus mutates so rapidly that we would have to constantly give new vaccines," she adds.
There are some potential 'cures' for the common cold on the horizon, some in pill and others in nasal spray form, but right now, as far as the general public is concerned, the treatment of choice is symptom relief. For example, acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), ibuprofen (such as Motrin), and aspirin (such as Bayer) may be used to treat fever, headache, sore throat, and sinus pain; cough syrup is used to calm coughs; and antihistamines/decongestants are used to stop runny noses, stuffiness, and sneezing.
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