Scientists develop miracle drug that can cure any viral infection

Its hit list includes human rhinoviruses 8212; the bugs that cause half of colds in adults and almost all colds in children 8212; flu,polio,a stomach bug and deadly dengue fever,the researchers said.

But DRACO,they said,is also expected to zap measles and German measles,cold sores,rabies and even HIV and could be on pharmacy shelves in a decade,the Daily Mail reported.

Lead researcher Mike Rider said: 8220;It8217;s certainly possible that there8217;s some virus that we aren8217;t able to treat but we haven8217;t found it yet.

8220;The discovery of antibiotics revolutionised the treatment of bacterial infections and we hope that this will revolutionise the treatment of viral infections. There aren8217;t very many anti-viral drugs out there at the moment.8221;

In lab tests,DRACO killed 15 viruses,including germs behind the common cold and two types of flu. It also saved the lives of mice given a dose of flu that should have killed them.

Amazingly,it8217;s found to be working so quickly that if taken early enough it should stop any symptoms from appearing.

Tests showed that it also wards off viruses,meaning it could stop people from becoming ill in the first place,the researchers reported in the journal PLoS ONE.