Pleconaril may not do much, but it s better than doling out levofloxacin and Augmentin. A chaotic emergency room crammed with the sick. Harried residents with a thousand waiting tasks. And an irate patient with a sore throat, cough, and an unwavering conviction that only an antibiotic can save her from intense suffering. Without time to argue the point, the attending concedes.
Antibiotics are relatively inexpensive and easily tolerated.
If they are not clinically effective in most cases of the common cold, as a placebo they bring peace of mind to the patient. The problem, of course, is bacterial resistance. Given the American pill culture, though, education alone is unlikely to solve the problem. Another weapon in the war against antibiotic resistance is needed. Help, in an unlikely form, may be on the way.