BackgroundThe common cold, the most prevalent contagious viral disease in humans still lacks a safe and effective antiviral treatment. Iota-Carrageenan is broadly active against respiratory viruses in-vitro and has an excellent safety profile. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of an Iota-Carrageenan nasal spray in patients with common cold symptoms.MethodsIn a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled exploratory trial, 35 human subjects suffering from early symptoms of common cold received Iota-Carrageenan (0.12%) in a saline solution three times daily for 4 days, compared to placebo.ResultsAdministration of Iota-Carrageenan nasal spray reduced the symptoms of common cold (p = 0.046) and the viral load in nasal lavages (p = 0.009) in patients with early symptoms of common cold. Pro-inflammatory mediators FGF-2, Fractalkine, GRO, G-CSF, IL-8, IL-1α, IP-10, IL-10, and IFN-α2 were reduced in the Iota-Carrageenan group.ConclusionsIota-Carrageenan nasal spray appears to be a promising treatment for safe and effective treatment of early symptoms of common cold. Larger trials are indicated to confirm the results.

A B S T R A C TObjective. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) has been widely used for over a century to treat pain and fever associated with acute upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), but there is a lack of clinical data to support the efficacy of ASA in this disease state. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of ASA for the treatment of sore throat pain associated with URTI.Design. A double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel group design. Two hundred seventy-two patients (mean age: 25 years) with sore throat pain associated with URTI were recruited at two centers. Pain scores were made during a 2-hour laboratory phase and continued for secondary objectives during a 4-hour home phase. Patients were treated with either two effervescent tablets of ASA 400 mg in water or matched placebo tablets. Patients took medication as required over a 3-day home phase.Results. ASA was found to be superior to placebo for: The primary efficacy parameter predefined in the protocol, reduction in sore throat pain intensity over 2 hours (P < 0.001), and for secondary efficacy parameters, reduction in sore throat pain intensity over 4 and 6 hours, relief of sore throat pain over 2, 4, and 6 hours, reduction in intensity of pain associated with headache, and reduction in muscle aches and pains over a 2-hour time period (P < 0.01). No safety problems were encountered.Conclusions. Treatment with ASA was shown to provide relief from sore throat pain, headache, and muscle aches and pains associated with URTI.

The results demonstrate that pseudoephedrine is a safe and effective treatment for nasal congestion associated with URTI. The results from the laboratory study on day 1 demonstrate by both objective and subjective measures of nasal congestion that a single dose of 60 mg pseudoephedrine is superior to placebo treatment. Support for the decongestant efficacy of multiple doses of pseudoephedrine is provided by objective measures on day 3 and subjective measures made over three days, but not by the VAS scores on day 3.

Vicks VapoRub ® (VVR) is a pharmaceutical preparation containing a combination of levomenthol, eucalyptus oil, turpentine oil and camphor as active ingredients, and thymol, cedarwood oil, and white soft paraffin as excipients. VVR is a petrolatum-based ointment to be either applied topically to the chest, throat, and back or added to hot water and the aromatic vapours inhaled. When used topically, the actives are evaporated by body temperature and inspired. The main therapeutic effects are the feeling of relief from nasal congestion and relief from cough. These were primarily experienced by patients as the trigeminal and olfactory impact of the aromatics and were hypothesized to be experienced within minutes. This was a randomized, single-(Investigator) blind, controlled, 2-arm (VVR vs. petrolatum), parallel design pilot study in 50 otherwise healthy adult patients suffering from common cold and experiencing nasal congestion. Speed to detection of a sensation of nasal cooling and nasal decongestion was assessed following application of the recommended amount of product. The time to first experience of a sensation of nasal cooling was significantly (p < 0.001) faster for patients who received VVR compared to control (median times of 23 and 99 seconds respectively). VVR delivered a statistically significant sensation of nasal cooling at all times from 12 seconds to 15 minutes after product application. The time to first experience of a sensation of nasal decongestion was significantly (p = 0.0102) faster for patients who received VVR compared to control (median times of 62 and 126 seconds respectively). VVR delivered a statistically significant sensation of nasal decongestion at all times from 62 seconds to 15 minutes after product application. No adverse events were reported during the study. Conclusion: Patients using Vicks VapoRub ® as directed experienced significant differences from control for sensation of nasal cooling in 12 seconds and the sensation of nasal decongestion in 62 seconds. R. Eccles et al.

One or two tablets of a single-tablet combination of ibuprofen 200 mg/paracetamol 500 mg is well-tolerated and provides superior analgesic efficacy to placebo in patients with primary dysmenorrhoea.