New Anti-Flu Drug Research Reported

A new drug inhaled once a day during flu outbreaks may help prevent people from becoming infected with either A or B strains, an improvement over older drugs, researchers said. According to a study in the July 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn., half of about 1,100 healthy adults inhaled 10 milligrams of zanamivir, also called Relenza, once a day for four weeks during the 1997-98 flu season. The other half were given a fake dose. Dr. Arnold Monto of the University of Michigan School of Public Health said the zanamivir prevented flu two-thirds of the time and flu with fever 84% of the time, according to the double-blind study. Of the people studied, 14% had previously had a flu shot. Relenza is made by Glaxo Wellcome Inc., which helped pay for the research. Relenza has already been approved for treatment of flu in the European Union and Australia, and is under review in the U.S.