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0 pointskristofferR5y ago0 comments

"The most commonly implicated virus [in the common cold] is a rhinovirus (30–80%). Other commonly implicated viruses include human coronaviruses (≈ 15%), influenza viruses (10–15%), adenoviruses (5%)." [1]

So yeah, this wouldn't be a cure for common cold. Maybe it could be a pill people could take with a 10-20% chance of curing it, if they're lucky.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_cold#Viruses

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tempestn5y ago· 2 in thread

Are you assuming that this antiviral only works on coronaviruses? Maybe that's not the case.

kristofferROP5y ago

The article was pretty clear about that in my view, yes.

> Pfizer is keeping schtum about the detail of the lab tests it has completed but says it has demonstrated “potent in vitro antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2”, as well as activity against other coronaviruses, raising the prospect of a cure for the common cold as well as future pandemic threats.

arcticbull5y ago

Yeah its a good question; my understanding is that unlike antibiotics, broad-spectrum antivirals don't really exist. [1]

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7103698/

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