Food and Drug Administration

FSU Scientists Develop Potential Zika Virus Treatment

A team of Florida State University researchers has repurposed existing drugs to potentially stop the transmission of the Zika virus.

One of the drugs discovered is already available and used to treat tapeworm.

In an article published by Nature Medicine, scientists from Florida State University, Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health described the two different groups of compounds found that could stop the Zika virus from spreading through the body and stop the infection from causing fetal brain damage.

One the drugs in which the compounds derive from is Nicolsamide, a treatment that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This drug showed no danger to pregnant women in animal studies.

Even though the drug is available today, more tests are needed to determine the efficacy of using it to specifically treat the Zika infection.

Researchers are hoping to soon test the drugs on animals infected with Zika.

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