Why is it so hard to cure the common cold? | George Zaidan
TED Health
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Is There a Cure for the Common Cold?
Common colds are caused by at least eight different families of virus, each with its own species and subtypes. A single family of viruses causes 30 to 50% of all colds, rhinovirus. There are two main ways to fight a virus, vaccines and antiviral drugs. In 2000, a company called ViroFarma ran clinical trials of placaneral, a new pill designed to treat the common cold. Just a few days into the treatment, researchers found mutated virus variants that were almost completely resistant to placaneral.
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