A Drug To Treat Zika Has Been Found

Thanks to the a team of researchers from Florida State University, Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health. They have found existing drug compounds that can both stop Zika from replicating in the body and from damaging the crucial fetal brain cells that lead to birth defects in newborns.

According to FSU, one of the identified compounds is the basis for a drug called Nicolsamide, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drug that showed no danger to pregnant women in animal studies. It is commonly used to treat tapeworm. This Zika medicine could theoretically be prescribed by a doctor today, though tests are still needed to determine a specific treatment regimen for the infection.

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Results of the study can be found on Nature Medicine.