63 ms·
TL;DR, the identified/named drug that may be repuposed to prevent Zika virus is called Niclosamide, wikipedia has already been updated[1] with its side benefit
by devy 10y ago
TL;DR, the identified/named drug that may be repuposed to prevent Zika virus is called Niclosamide, wikipedia has already been updated[1] with its side benefit :)
Nicolsamide is also listed as WHO's "one of the most important medications needed in a basic health system."[1]
There should be more drug repurposing researches to be done but it's probably profit-prohibiting for the big pharmas :(
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niclosamide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niclosamide
- Domenic_S 10y agoWas the "big pharma" snark really necessary? Seems to me drug repurposing would be a huge profit-maker. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off-label_use https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off-label_use
- thirstytho 10y agoUnfortunately since they get paid on IP, it's more like the opposite. A minor revision to replace a proved drug with a re-patentable version is a little work for a lot of money; proving a new use for an out-of-patent drug is a lot of work for very little money. I don't necessarily agree with the snark but we'd probably be better off if more medical research were not profit-motivated.
- mattkrause 10y ago> proving a new use for an out-of-patent drug is a lot of work for very little money. That's not entirely true. There are programs in the US and UK which offer "marketing exclusivity" for companies that perform trials validating new uses for existing drugs. These aren't exactly patents, but it does provide a financial incentive.
- S_Daedalus 10y agoI'm curious what about that you think was snark, or if you're just offended by the phrase.