Scientists improve on cold medicine
About the article
This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from December 2001.
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Chicago (AP) - In a medical first, researchers have developed a drug that speeds recovery from the common cold - a significant breakthrough for scientists who have been in pursuit of a cure for decades.
Since the medicine doesn't make the sniffles disappear immediately, it is still debatable whether the scientists have discovered the longsought cure. But experts have little doubt about its importance.
The drug - which is still months away from drugstores - eases cold symptoms within a day and makes a runny nose completely clear up a day sooner than usual. Experts say that is a substantial development - considering a one-day reduction in a viral disease that lasts only a few days is probably the best that can be hoped for.
