This is really good news as it clearly applies across the threat
spectrum and prevents severity. It may not end the threat but it can
ensure survivability. A welcome weapon and badly needed as the
present protocol is a weak solution to the problem because of the
time lag.
Let us hope it proves up and is available quickly. We will all feel
a little safer knowing something can effectively prevent death from
the disease.
After all that is essentially our strategy for diabetes for the past
decades.
A mighty fighting
flu breakthrough
by Staff Writers
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Feb 26, 2013
The new drug has been
proven to be effective in preventing the spread of different strains
of influenza in laboratory models - including resistant strains of
the virus.
The breakthrough is
the result of a global collaboration between scientists from CSIRO,
the University of British Columbia and the University of Bath.
In order to infect
cells, flu viruses bind onto sugars on the cell surface. To be able
to spread they need to remove these sugars. The new drug works by
preventing the virus from removing sugars and blocking the virus from
infecting more cells. It is hoped the drug will also be effective
against future strains of the virus.
According to the World
Health Organisation, influenza kills approximately 500,000 people
each year, with up to 2500 of those deaths occurring in Australia[1].
Costs to the Australian health care system are estimated to be more
than A$85M, with more than 1.5 million work days lost annually.
CSIRO scientist Dr
Jenny McKimm-Breschkin, a researcher in the team that developed the
first flu drug Relenza, said that understanding exactly how flu
viruses become resistant to drugs has helped them to design a better
flu drug.
"CSIRO
researchers have shown that flu viruses continually mutate and some
have become resistant to available treatments," Dr Jenny
McKimm-Breschkin said.
"The new drug is
effective against these resistant strains. As the site where the drug
binds is found in all flu strains, the new drug is expected to be
effective even against future flu strains.
"With millions of
poultry currently infected with 'bird flu' globally, there are still
concerns about its adaptation and potential to spread among humans,
causing the next pandemic," she added.
Professor Steve
Withers, University of British Columbia, has led the research team
for the past seven years and said that although further studies are
required to determine efficacy against a broader range of flu
strains, the findings are extremely positive.
"Despite recent
improvements in vaccine production, when a new strain of flu emerges
it can take several months before vaccines are available to the
public," Professor Steve Withers said.
"This antiviral
drug would play an important role as the first line of defence in
modulating disease severity and in controlling a pandemic while
vaccines are prepared," he added.
Details of the
research have been published in a paper titled: 'Mechanism-based
Covalent Neuraminidase Inhibitors with Broad Spectrum Influenza
Antiviral Activity'. Researchers estimate it will take up
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