Should it pan out, the pill would be a new weapon against Lyme disease.

If you have a dog or cat, chances are you’ve given your pet a flavored chewable tablet for tick prevention at some point. What if you could take a similar pill to protect yourself from getting Lyme disease?

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals is developing such a pill for humans—minus the tasty flavoring—that could provide protection against the tick-borne disease for several weeks at a time. In February, the Irvine, California–based biotech company announced results from a small, early-stage trial showing that 24 hours after taking the drug, it can kill ticks on people, with the effects lasting for up to 30 days.

“What we envision is something that would protect you before the tick would even bite you,” says Bobby Azamian, CEO of Tarsus.

Lyme disease is a fast-growing problem in the United States, where approximately 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated for it each year, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number is likely an overestimate, because many patients are treated after a tick bite even if an infection isn’t confirmed, but it underscores the burden of Lyme disease on the health care system—which researchers at the CDC and Yale University put at nearly $1 billion per year.

      • RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
        3·
        8 个月前

        But I want a different flavor. My dogs would get jealous. And I don’t think there’s Nexgard for my weight class.

    • cm0002@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      8 个月前

      Fr, I don’t know why so many people think that once you’re an adult you don’t want anything flavorful.

      Dentists don’t ask what flavor you want when they brush your teeth with the whir thing. 99% “Adult” toothpastes only come in mint or mint+[something]. Lawmakers try to restrict vape flavors to just tobacco (🤢).

      • Doubletwist@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        8 个月前

        Dentists don’t ask what flavor you want when they brush your teeth with the whir thing. 99%

        You need a better dentist. Mine has at least 2 flavors, mint and cinnamon. I don’t know if they have any more since they note your preference in your file and just use whatever you had last time.

        • cm0002@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          8 个月前

          Mine has more flavors, but they only have mint and cinnamon(? Maybe I don’t entirely remember ATM) that they’ll ask adults. Kids, however, are given a choice of flavors like blue raspberry, bubble gum, strawberry (I think) and some other 4th flavor

          It wasn’t till I asked about the kids flavors they were like “Nah there’s no difference except in flavors, we just ask adults if they want mint or cinnamon” lol

          • Doubletwist@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            8 个月前

            Mine might have other flavors, I never asked because I’m quite happy with mint. Seeing as that’s the only flavor available for the majority of my life, I’m used to it.

            I did try a cinnamon toothpaste once in my 30s. I nearly gagged, it was awful.

      • dave@feddit.ukEnglish
        1·
        8 个月前

        Really? Most medicines are made bitter to stop kids eating the whole lot. Once you’re an adult, it’s assumed that you’ll mange to take stuff that’s good for you without being tricked into it like a dog…

  • IphtashuFitz@lemmy.worldEnglish
    10·
    8 个月前

    My wife and I are volunteers for phase 3 of a Lyme disease vaccine trial. We’ve both had two injections so far with zero side effects, and have a final one in about a month. Granted we have no idea if we actually received the vaccine or a placebo, but by stage 3 the effects should be pretty well known.

  • Everythingispenguins@lemmy.worldEnglish
    10·
    8 个月前

    We had a safe and effective vaccine for Lyme’s Disease 25 years ago. It was called LYMErix. You took three shots and it would provide years of not decades of protection. And it did it by killing the Lyme’s bacteria in the tick before you could even be exposed.

    But it was unprofitable, and was dogged by anti vaccine sentiment and unfounded claims of side effects. Sadly it was only on the market for a few years before the manufacturer gave up and quit making it.

  • LibertyLizard@slrpnk.netEnglish
    93·
    8 个月前

    This is going to need a lot of safety data for me to trust a poison that works by staying in your body for 30 days.

  • RobotToasterEnglish
    61·
    8 个月前

    Lotilaner, otherwise known as credelio, it’s literally the same drug already used in dogs.

  • Ms. ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.mlEnglish
    31·
    8 个月前

    I don’t know much about flea and tick protection in dogs, aren’t there some that can obliterate bug populations if a dog goes swimming in a pond? Would this drug have similar concerns or not really?