A pill that wards off flu is being patented by Lovesgrove Research of Powys,
a company that normally specialises in agrochemicals research (GB 2347858). The
company says the work was “done on a shoestring” and it now needs a partner to
commercialise the drug.
When a virus binds to a living host cell, DNA or RNA from the virus crosses
the cell membrane and replicates. The patent claims that benzeneacetic acid
2-(diethylamino) ethyl ester prevents infection because it makes the host cell
slippery, preventing the virus from latching onto it. The company says that
tests have shown that…
