COMBINATION THERAPY FOR THE COMMON COLD.

Efforts to combat the common cold are now focusing on antiviral compounds. Yet existing antivirals are ineffective when used alone, presumably because they do not counter the inflammatory response to the cold virus. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study tested a combination of agents: intranasal interferon-alpha 2b (an antiviral), ipratropium (a parasympatholytic drug), and naproxen (a prostaglandin inhibitor to suppress inflammation).

Twenty-four healthy adult volunteers became infected after inoculation with rhinovirus. Medications (or placebos) were started 24 hours later and continued three times daily for 4 days. Colds developed in 6 of 16 actively treated subjects versus 7 of 8 controls. Compared with controls, actively treated s…