Running nose. raging fever. Aching joints. Splitting headache. Are there any poor souls suffering from the flu this winter who haven't longed for a pill to make it all go away? Relief may be in sight. Researchers at Gilead Sciences, a pharmaceutical company in Foster City, California, reported last week in the Journal of the American Chemical Society that they have discovered a compound that can stop the influenza virus from spreading in animals. Tests on humans are set for later this year.
The new compound takes a novel approach to the familiar flu virus. It targets an enzyme, called neuraminidase,...