Poorva Chavan
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Written By: Poorva Chavan | Published : June 6, 2015 1:10 PM IST
Scientists for long now have tried to develop vaccines and drugs against the flu virus but have had little success as the virus keeps on evolving. But scientists from Canada have developed a drug that tackles the virus in a novel way.
The study was conducted on two different strains of mice, and three different strains of flu and the result obtained made the scientists believe that the drug could be effective in humans too. (Read:A drug that can destroy the influenza virus, now on the horizon)
How is this drug different from conventional ones?
In case of respiratory failure, the blood vessels drain fluid into the lung s air sacs, and this drug prevents the blood vessels from leaking fluid instead of targeting the virus.The new drug is called Vasculotide and is developed by researchers at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. It acts on the cells that line the blood vessels.
How effective is the drug?
The drug was effective against different strains of influenza including the 2009 swine flu epidemic strain. During the drug testing, out of the mice that were given the drug, 80 percent survived whereas, all the mice that were not given any drug died within one week.
How does the drug work?
The drug when administered along with antivirals without compromising the body s ability to evoke an immune response to the body. The drug also works alone even if it is administered days after the infection began.
The study appeared in the journal Scientific Reports.
Image source: Getty Images
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