Q. If I get the flu, should I take Tamiflu? Will it keep me from getting really sick?
A. Tamiflu, generic name oseltamivir, is an antiviral drug used to treat seasonal flu in people who have had symptoms for fewer than two days, and in people who have been exposed to influenza virus but have not yet shown symptoms.
Dr. Anita Barry, director of the Infectious Disease Bureau at the Boston Public Health Commission, says that the question of whether Tamiflu is effective does not have an easy answer. “If healthy people begin to take the medication within 48 hours of symptom onset, it tends to relieve their symptoms about a day sooner’’ than if they hadn’t taken the drug, she says, assuming they are infected with a strain of influenza that is susceptible to the drug. H1N1 swine flu has responded to treatment with Tamiflu, although isolated reports of resistance have emerged this season.
Barry adds that Tamiflu is routinely given to hospitalized patients with the flu, as there is some evidence they can benefit even after the 48-hour window. She says the data are less clear as to whether the drug can reduce health complications of flu.
Some governments stockpile Tamiflu to prepare for flu outbreaks, but a recent review in British Medical Journal questions this policy. The Cochrane Collaboration, an international group that produces reviews of medical literature, analyzed published clinical trials of Tamiflu and other drugs of its class, called neuraminidase inhibitors, and found that there is not enough information to conclude whether they prevent serious complications of flu such as pneumonia.
Dr. Martin S. Hirsch, an immunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, says that though the Cochrane review grabbed headlines, it does not really contradict current medical practice. “Current recommendations are to use oseltamivir for those with suspected or confirmed influenza who fall into certain high-risk groups,’’ including people suffering from other illnesses, children under age 2, adults 65 or older, and pregnant women.
A. Tamiflu, generic name oseltamivir, is an antiviral drug used to treat seasonal flu in people who have had symptoms for fewer than two days, and in people who have been exposed to influenza virus but have not yet shown symptoms.
Dr. Anita Barry, director of the Infectious Disease Bureau at the Boston Public Health Commission, says that the question of whether Tamiflu is effective does not have an easy answer. “If healthy people begin to take the medication within 48 hours of symptom onset, it tends to relieve their symptoms about a day sooner’’ than if they hadn’t taken the drug, she says, assuming they are infected with a strain of influenza that is susceptible to the drug. H1N1 swine flu has responded to treatment with Tamiflu, although isolated reports of resistance have emerged this season.
Barry adds that Tamiflu is routinely given to hospitalized patients with the flu, as there is some evidence they can benefit even after the 48-hour window. She says the data are less clear as to whether the drug can reduce health complications of flu.
Some governments stockpile Tamiflu to prepare for flu outbreaks, but a recent review in British Medical Journal questions this policy. The Cochrane Collaboration, an international group that produces reviews of medical literature, analyzed published clinical trials of Tamiflu and other drugs of its class, called neuraminidase inhibitors, and found that there is not enough information to conclude whether they prevent serious complications of flu such as pneumonia.
Dr. Martin S. Hirsch, an immunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, says that though the Cochrane review grabbed headlines, it does not really contradict current medical practice. “Current recommendations are to use oseltamivir for those with suspected or confirmed influenza who fall into certain high-risk groups,’’ including people suffering from other illnesses, children under age 2, adults 65 or older, and pregnant women.
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