Scientists find new drug which could 'switch off' flu misery

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The misery of flu could become a thing of the past after the discovery of a drug which effectively 'switches off' the symptoms.

British scientists have found a technique to suppress the immune system's overreaction to the influenza virus, which can result in fever, breathlessness and weight loss.

The immune response continues long after the virus is cleared from the body, leading to inflamed and clogged airways.

But researchers at Imperial College London have developed a molecule with the same effect as a protein that normally limits the immune response and brings a halt to inflammation.

Mice given the drug suffered less weight loss and inflammation in the lungs and airways than other flu-infected animals.

Researcher Dr Robert Snelgrove said: 'Although flu is just an inconvenience for some people, it can be dangerous and even fatal in the very young and elderly. We hope our research could ultimately help to develop treatments to fight the effects of this sometimes lethal virus.'

The scientists also hopes their findings, reported today in the journal Nature Immunology, will lead to new treatments for a range of auto-immune diseases, allergies and infections, such as asthma and the inflammatory gut condition Crohn's disease.