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Dr. Julie Gerberding – Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). |
The United States advises against the use of two antiviral medications, amantadine and rimantadine, after evidence showed they are completely ineffective against the current H3N2 influenza strain infecting humans.
Testing results from 120 samples infected with the H3N2 virus revealed that 91% of the samples showed resistance to amantadine and rimantadine. In contrast, the resistance rate during last year’s flu season in the United States was only 11%.
“Amantadine and rimantadine should not be used to prevent or treat suspected influenza infections, as they will not be effective,” stated Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Instead, one of the two newer medications, Tamiflu or Relenza, should be prescribed.
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Amantadine medication |
The new warning regarding amantadine and rimantadine applies only to seasonal influenza and does not pertain to the H5N1 avian influenza strain, which experts caution may mutate and cause a global pandemic.
Dr. Gerberding noted that it is still unclear whether the influenza virus has mutated spontaneously or if external factors have contributed to its drug resistance. However, some experts believe that the availability of over-the-counter medications outside the United States may be driving viral mutations and rendering the drugs ineffective.
Tamiflu is the brand name for the antiviral oseltamivir distributed by Roche AG (Switzerland), while Relenza is zanamivir from GlaxoSmithKline Plc (UK). The demand for these products is currently very high as countries race to stockpile them in preparation for a potential flu pandemic.
Mỹ Linh (according to Reuters)
