Drugs Used to Fight Hepatitis, Worm Infections Might Stop Zika

Zika has caused smaller epidemics of birth defects, notably brain damage that can cause miscarriages or profound developmental injuries

A drug already on the market to treat worm infections and another being tested against liver diseases may also help treat Zika virus infections, researchers reported Monday.

The findings are a rare bit of good news about Zika, which has caused epidemics across Latin America and the Caribbean, and smaller outbreaks in Florida, the Pacific and southeast Asia, NBC News reported.

Zika has caused smaller epidemics of birth defects, notably brain damage that can cause miscarriages or profound developmental injuries in babies.

The team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Johns Hopkins University and Florida State University looked first in a library of existing drug compounds for products that might act to stop Zika from killing brain cells and perhaps stop it from replicating itself.

One of the drugs is Nicosamide used to treat worm infections, and the other is Emricasan to treat hepatitis C.

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