Promising Therapy for West Nile Virus
By Biotechdaily staff writers
Posted on 23 Sep 2004
A new therapy for West Nile virus (WNV), based on familiar blood-pressure drugs, has shown some promising results.Posted on 23 Sep 2004
The protocol, developed by GenoMed (St. Louis, MO, USA), is based on the theory that brain inflammation and death result from an over-response by the host's immune system to WNV. The company's therapy gently suppresses the immune system at an early stage in its activation.
"Thanks to clinical experience from last summer, we are getting a better picture of what angiotensin II blockade can and can't do against West Nile virus,” explained Dr. David Moskowitz, CEO and chief medical officer of GenoMed. "West Nile symptoms of ongoing infection like headache, weakness, and fatigue have gone away promptly after starting treatment.” Last summer, eight of 10 patients had disappearance of symptoms within 24 hours of taking an angiotensin II receptor blocker.
Dr. Moskowitz has been a pioneer in the field of medical genomics and has been recognized for his treatment of diseases associated with angiotensin I-converting enzyme, such as acute renal failure due to hypertension or type 2 diabetes.
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