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. //

Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which gets passed to humans through the bite of an infected tick. In most cases, a tick has to be attached for around 36 to 48 hours before the bacteria can be transmitted. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash that looks like a bullseye. //

The experimental pill that Tarsus Pharmaceuticals is testing is a formulation of lotilaner, a drug that paralyzes and kills parasites by interfering with the way that signals are passed between their nerve cells. Lotilaner is already approved as a veterinary medicine under the brand name Credelio to control fleas and ticks in dogs and cats. //

In a Phase II trial, 31 healthy adults took either a low or high dose of the Tarsus pill, or a placebo. Researchers then placed sterile ticks on participants’ arms and, 24 hours later, measured how many died. They also observed tick death 30 days after a single dose of the pill. At day one, 97 percent of ticks in the high-dose group and 92 percent in the low-dose group had died, while only 5 percent of ticks in the placebo group had. One month out, both doses of the pill killed around 90 percent of ticks. The company reported no serious adverse events from the pill, and none of the participants dropped out due to side effects. //

DNA_Doc Ars Praetorian
5y
561
"Without a vaccine for Lyme disease on the market, current prevention includes using insect repellents such as DEET and permethrin and wearing closed shoes, long pants, and long sleeves when in a tick-infested area."

Yes, if only we had a vaccine for Lyme disease...oh wait...we did.

The FDA approved a Lyme vaccine (LYMErix) in December of 1998. Shortly after, some people complained of arthritis and sued SmithKline Beecham, its maker. It didn't matter that it made no sense that the vaccine would cause arthritis at all (ie, no plausible mechanism of action), nor that Borrelia burgdorferi itself enters the joints and causes severe inflammation; the masses were convinced. So two large (~20,000 participants) two-year studies were conducted and confirmed the implausibility of the vaccine causing arthritis, but it wasn't enough. The media had publicized a possible connection, sales were decreasing as a result, and GlaxoSmithKline (as it was then known) was spending millions of dollars defending itself from numerous lawsuits filed by greedy attorneys.

Utimately, GSK withdrew the vaccine from the market. An effective vaccine beneficial for human health was taken off the market not because of any real safety issues, but because idiots ruined it for everybody.

Edited to mention that rasheverak and Jim Bacon ninja'd me and I didn't notice. :) //

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870557/

DovePig Ars Praetorian
2y
9,267

A few points, as this short Wired article misses a few things or gets them wrong:

1. A multivalent Lyme vaccine is in clinical trials currently, from Valneva/Pfizer. Previous phases have shown it to be pretty promising.
2. DEET dissolves plastics like nylon pack straps and jackets, you are better off using another repellent Icaridin (Picaridin).
3. Permethrin is NOT a repellent, it's an insecticide. It does not repel ticks, it kills them as it's a neurotoxin, like other insecticides – that's why it's also poisonous any other invertebrates like helpful bugs and bees, aquatic wildlife, fish and even cats (!). I really wish some companies stopped falsely marketing permethrin as a safe repellent when it's not. It's safe when carefully applied to clothing, but shouldn't ever be sprayed wantonly in the environment, on lawns or in nature (Thermacell permethrin "candles" are banned in Finland in forests for that very reason).
4. Also, we had a Lyme vaccine two decades ago already. Safe and working, if only for the US strain of B. burgdoferi. Greedy lawyers and dumb antivaxxers stopped it and stopped the development of new vaccines for said two decades, as til now nobody would risk developing one only to have to stop it again. ETA: Darn, it says something good about Ars commenters that I've been ninja'd on this issue thrice already, good job ;-)

That said, a pill that could kill ticks upon attaching sounds really interesting, especially with all the other nasty diseases they carry (wait till you hear about tick‑borne encephalitis virus, which might not only kill you, but can really mess up your brain and memories permanently even if you survive it).