This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Current research for rhinovirus interventions remains sparse
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Antiviral interventions for rhinovirus infections have not been researched extensively in current years, and past study findings indicated that limited efficacy and safety issues were concerns associated with various treatments, according to a speaker at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology.
Presenter Ronald Turner, MD, professor of pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, discussed previous research that investigated several treatments for human rhinovirus infections and elaborated on the positives and negatives for each type of therapy.
In the past, one intervention — interferon — did not present an effective treatment for human rhinovirus but showed promise as prophylaxis, according to Turner. Results from one study indicated that patients who were living with people who had colds and were treated with interferon were protected from rhinovirus infections. However, the benefits of intranasal interferon were complicated by certain adverse effects, such as nasal irritation, that appeared if the treatment was used for more than two weeks.
Inter-Cellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM1) also gained popularity due to study results linking ICAM1 with significant reductions in rhinovirus symptoms. Additionally, Turner reported that researchers observed few adverse effects, but the project was eventually abandoned for commercial reasons.
Turner said rupintrivir and pleconaril also generated excitement as potential treatments, showing statistically significant results in clinical trials. Ultimately, the benefits were minimal, however.
Despite waning interest in rhinovirus interventions, some researchers are investigating new drugs or potential reformulations of older treatments, according to Turner, whereas others have posed novel theories — such as altering antigenicity — about the creation of a rhinovirus vaccine. – by Melissa Foster
Turner R. #2306. Presented at: 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology; Feb. 26-March 2, 2010; New Orleans.