A pill to kill ticks has shown promising results in human trials

Biopharmaceutical company Tarsus Pharmaceuticals is developing a pill for humans that can kill ticks on the human body that carry diseases such as Lyme disease.

Here's What We Know

The pill is similar in properties to flavoured chewable pet pills designed to prevent ticks. Except for the tasty flavouring, this pill could provide protection against tick-borne illness for several weeks. In February, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, based in Irvine, California, announced the results of a small, early-stage study showing that 24 hours after taking the drug, it could kill ticks on humans, with effects lasting up to 30 days.

The experimental pill being tested by Tarsus Pharmaceuticals is a formulation of Lotilaner, a drug that paralyses and kills parasites by interfering with the way signals are transmitted between their nerve cells. Lotilaner is already approved as a veterinary drug under the Credelio brand name for flea and tick control in dogs and cats.

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 latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease is caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia, transmitted through the bites of infected ticks. Symptoms include skin rashes, fever, myalgias and neurological manifestations.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals has yet to prove that its pills can actually prevent Lyme disease. That would require testing the drug on hundreds of people at high risk of contracting the disease. But the company is quite optimistic and assures that the pill is potentially a pre-exposure prophylaxis that patients don't have to think about.

Source: Wired