An experimental drug that coats people’s skin with poison to protect against Lyme disease is being tested.
Cases of tick-borne infections have increased dramatically across America in recent decades, with nearly 500,000 people now believed to be infected each year.
The new pill is supposed to be taken once every nine months and works by putting a drug into the skin that is harmless to humans but deadly to ticks, causing the ticks to attack and die before they can transmit the bacteria that cause the disease of Lyme.
Dr. Bobak Azamian, the CEO of the Californian company developing the treatment, told DailyMail.com: ‘I think the strength of this tablet is that there is nothing like it that addresses the root cause of Lyme disease, that’s the trick.
‘What this would do is provide an opportunity for protection for many people, for landscapers, frequent walkers and gardeners.’
An experimental drug that coats people’s skin with poison to protect against Lyme disease is being tested
The chart above shows the cases of Lyme disease diagnosed in the US, by year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says only a fraction of cases are reported, estimating there are nearly 500,000 each year.
The map above shows where most cases are reported, showing that the disease is most prevalent in the northeastern states
Trials have already shown it to be safe, but now it must be shown to have a protective effect before it can be submitted for approval.
If successful, the team at California-based Tarsus Pharmaceuticals says it could be available in 2026.
Vaccines against Lyme disease have not been available since 2002, when the Lymerix vaccine was withdrawn from the market.
Yet the number of cases of Lyme disease appears to have more than doubled nationally over the past thirty years, to almost 500,000 per year.
The disease can be treated with antibiotics if caught at an early stage, but figures suggest that around 30,000 patients every year do not notice this in time.
This means that many patients can suffer in silence. Bella Hadid, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease in July, said the infection left her with an irregular heartbeat, joint pain and difficulty breathing.
The bacteria behind Lyme disease cause illness by hitching a ride in the bloodstream from the site of infection to other parts of the body.
In severe cases, it can infect and damage heart valves and nerve cells, leading to encephalitis – or inflammation of the brain.
The new pill contains a drug called TP-05, a parasitic agent that paralyzes and kills ticks.
Pfizer is also working on a new vaccine to tackle Lyme disease, using the same mRNA technology used against Covid.
To be effective, a minimum of three doses are needed, preliminary research suggests, and possibly a booster every year. It is not expected to be available until 2025.
The drug has already passed phase 1 trials showing it to be safe. During these periods it was given to young, healthy adults and caused no side effects.
Ticks are steadily advancing further north and becoming active for longer each year thanks to warming temperatures
It is currently in phase 2a research, which will test whether the sterile tick can kill those that bite humans.
The trial involves thirty participants, each of whom takes the pill and is then bitten by a tick.
These ticks are then monitored for 30 days to see if they die. A placebo group that will receive a fake drug will also be included.
It is hoped that because the drug targets ticks rather than bacteria, it could also protect against other less common tick-borne diseases, such as the Powassan virus, which can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
As ticks advance further north and are active for longer each year thanks to warming temperatures, doctors say there is an increasing need to find a way to combat the disease.
It is not yet clear how much the treatment will cost, but it is based on a similar drug given to cats and dogs once a month to prevent flea and tick bites. This costs more than $18.99 per dose.
Dr. Azamian said they will likely have results from this trial by the end of this year, but they will still need to conduct phase 2b and 3 studies.
But he is confident that once they have the data, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will approve this treatment for use in humans. This could happen as early as 2026, he told DailyMail.com.