Quickly Treating Influenza With Antivirals Reduced Mortality by 31%

A new study of 1,330 people published in Clinical Infectious Diseases assessed whether treating critically ill influenza patients within 48 hours with antiviral medications can actually decrease mortality. 

These researchers reported that severely ill patients with suspected influenza should be promptly treated with an antiviral medication, oseltamivir, particularly when the subtype A/H3N2 is circulating. 

Among the patients with influenza A/H3N2, early treatment was associated with significantly lower mortality (Relative Risk 0.69, 95% CrI 0.49–0.94, and subdistribution Hazard Ratio 0.58, 95% CrI 0.37–0.88). 

This effect was purely due to an increased cause-specific hazard for discharge, while the cause-specific hazard for death was not increased. 

Among survivors, the median length of ICU stay was shorter with early treatment by 1.8 days (95% CrI 0.5–3.5). 

This study found no effect on mortality when observed for A/H1N1 and influenza B patients. 

But, the clinical efficacy of oseltamivir should not be assumed to be equal against all types of influenza. 

Which suggests further research into the antiviral’s impact on the different influenza types. 

Antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir are the 2nd line of defense that can be used to treat influenza, including seasonal flu and variant flu viruses if you get sick. 

Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid, an inhaled powder, or an intravenous solution) that fight against flu viruses in your body, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics, which fight against bacterial infections. 

There are 4 FDA-approved antiviral drugs recommended by the CDC to treat influenza during the 2018-2019 flu season: 

• oseltamivir phosphate (trade name Tamiflu®)
• zanamivir (trade name Relenza®)
• peramivir (trade name Rapivab®)
• baloxavir marboxil (trade name Xofluza®)

The CDC says, ‘The best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated every year.’