Common Cold Remedy May Treat SARS

German researchers say an experimental drug developed to treat the common cold could help fight against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus. However they said the drug might not be available to the general public immediately. The drug is a relative of a remedy for treating common cold. As SARS and common cold are caused by the Corona virus, this could help in treating SARS. The drug, AG-7088, with a little molecular tinkering, could be effective against SARS. The researchers said that the compound, most probably will not be a drug to treat SARS. However it could be a good starting point for developing drugs to inhibit corona virus.

Since viruses for SARS and common cold use protease to reproduce, SARS drug would fight the disease by blocking the protease. Researchers hope to find a protease inhibitor against SARS soon. However developing a safe drug may be taking time. Meanwhile, researchers in New York have announced they may be making progress in developing a drug that prevents the SARS virus from entering cells. One need to note that SARS has killed more than five percent of the nearly 7,500 people it is known to have infected.