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Federal health authorities say prescription drugs to help people fight the flu don't appear to be working on a common strain this season.
In its latest weekly report, the Centers for Disease Control says since October of last year 99 percent of specimens from a particular virus that were tested did not respond to the antiviral medicine, Tamiflu.
The apparently pesky strain is known as Influenza A: H1N1 and is the most common to date. That could change, however, as the flu season, which normally reaches its peak between January and March, progresses.
The saving grace, however, may be that the CDC says, so far, this has been a mild flu season.
Dr. Joseph Bresee, CDC Influenza Division Chief of Epidemiology and Prevention, says, "It would not be our message that the medicine doesn't work. There certainly is a resistant type of virus which we are watching closely, but we're early enough in the season where we don't know what this means for the peak of the season."
Dr. Bresee says if doctors confirm through a test that a patient has the H1N1 strain then they should use another antiviral instead of Tamiflu.
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AP |
"Understand that this is a small sample in a limited number of states and Tamiflu is showing good activity against the other circulating viruses, H3N2 (A) and B," a Roche spokesman told CNBC. "And the H1N1 strain represents only about 30% of currently circulating viruses, according to CDC reports. We will continue to monitor the situation."
Roche and Gilead Sciences [GILD
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] share revenue on Tamiflu. Sales of the drug have fallen dramatically following pandemic stockpiling.
GlaxoSmithKline [GSK
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] makes an inhalable antiviral, Relenza, but it's a very small seller.
Antivirals are not vaccines. Patients take an antiviral after showing flu symptoms. People who live with flu patients can also go on the drugs proactively.
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