Lanxess Touts Icaridin As Zika Preventer …

The German chemical maker Lanxess is marketing the insect repellent icaridin as a means of protection against the Zika virus. Most commonly, Zika causes fever, rash, and joint swelling, but researchers are concerned about a link between infected pregnant women and abnormal head development in their fetuses. Humans can be infected with the virus when bitten by Egyptian tiger mosquitoes. Icaridin is not an insecticide and is safe for women to use when pregnant, the firm says. The molecule repels mosquitoes by acting on their odorant receptors, says Dirk Sandri, head of fine chemicals marketing.