As we start to approach allergy season here in the United States, many people will start to acquire the common cold. When people are infected with the common cold, there is only one thought on their minds “I want this gone now!” For temporary relief, there are various antibiotics on the market that help relieve symptoms to help you feel more comfortable; however, the cold still lingers within your system. Now, there may be a solution to completely rid your system of the cold that makes us feel so terrible.

This past Wednesday, leading Australian drug maker Biota (based in Melbourne, Australia) announced their success with an antiviral compound called Vapendavir. This compound was tested in a clinical trial with 300 asthma patients that were diagnosed with colds. The results of this clinical trial concluded that the patients that were given a placebo experienced cold symptoms for two and a half days. Those that were given Vapendavir recovered from the cold systems within two days.

Dr. Robert Stirling from Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, had the following response to Vapendavir’s results:

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“If this reduces the intensity and duration of a respiratory cold, especially in asthmatics, it is an important finding. I think eventually we will be able to incorporate this treatment into our usual practice and we will find the economic benefits will outweigh health costs of treating infected patients. This could signal the death of the sickie.”

(Note: Sickie = Australian slang for “sick day”)

Before Vapendavir is released to the public, Biota needs to conduct more tests and perform more studies in a larger group of patients, along with convincing regulators that this is an “unmet need in healthcare.”