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FDA rejects medication that attacks cold viruses.
Byline: Marilynn Marchione
MILWAUKEE _ The quest for a cure to the common cold suffered a setback Wednesday when the Food and Drug Administration refused to approve what would have been the first prescription medication for the 1 billion cases of sniffles that Americans suffer each year.
The drug, pleconaril, brand-name Picovir, directly attacks the viruses that cause colds as opposed to over-the-counter drugs that just treat symptoms.
The FDA said the drug's potential side effects _ most notably, cutting the effectiveness of birth control pills _ make it unacceptable to treat what is mostly a nuisance illness rather than a serious medical condition.
Its maker, ViroPharma Inc., which has teamed up …
