A new common cold remedy?
Interesting news from the South African
IOL website:
New nasal spray hailed as cure for the cold
A nasal spray that can stop the sniffles before they start is being hailed as the biggest breakthrough in cold remedies in years.
The spray forms a thin layer of gel at the back of the nose, where it traps the cold virus, disarms it and helps the body to flush it out.
Trials show that using the spray - called Vicks First Defence - within 36 hours of the virus entering the body can stop a cold in its tracks.
This is the period when symptoms like a tickly throat and sneezing indicate a virus has got into the nasal passages and is preparing to spread.
The treatment is the first to attack the virus that does the damage, rather than just soothe symptoms. It's the nearest scientists have come to developing an effective cold vaccine.
"This is one of the most exciting advances in the cough and cold industry," says Professor Ron Eccles, director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University.
Cold and flu expert Professor John Oxford, from the Queen Mary School of Medicine in London, says: "I expect Vicks First Defence to have a considerable impact in the treatment of the common cold.
"Not only will it empower sufferers to combat their cold far more effectively than before, it may help prevent the virus from spreading to others."
The cold is the most common illness. By the age of 70, most of us will have suffered an average of 200 colds and spent three years coughing and sneezing.
There are at least 100 known cold viruses, usually transferred by touch or through the air from coughs and sneezes.
It is claimed the spray, developed by Procter & Gamble, is the first product clinically proven to target the virus.
The spray can even be used as protection where germs spread easily, such as on buses or trains, or in offices.
Vicks First Defence goes on sale in pharmacies around the UK next month.
Very cool! It is already being sold in Germany, Austria and Italy.
Posted by DaveH at September 22, 2005 9:48 AM