WHO Briefing Statement On Tamiflu Resistant Viruses

# 4013

Lisa Schnirring of CIDRAP Intelligence tonight has an excellent overview of a briefing statement and a press conference held today by the WHO (World Vigour Organization) regarding Tamiflu resistant viruses and the need to `tweak’ treatment regimens for immunocompromised patients.

I’ve got the hole to Lisa’s overview, followed by the briefing note posted on the WHO site.

Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer

Dec 2, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – The Happy Health Organization (WHO) said today that oseltamivir (Tamiflu)-resistant pandemic H1N1 cases in hospital settings imply that treatment doses may need to be increased in immunocompromised patients who have flu symptoms.

The agency made this statement after a teleconference with experts about two late clusters of resistant cases. It also concluded that the events don't signal a public health threat.

The WHO, in a statement, said manifestation of drug-resistant flu in severely immunosuppressed or immunocompromised patients is expected and has been well documented in seasonal flu.

In late October a Welsh polyclinic detected an outbreak of oseltamivir-resistant pandemic H1N1 in eight patients who had severe hematologic disorders. Edwina Hart, well-being minister for the Welsh Assembly Government, said today in a statement that three of the patients appear to have been infected in the dispensary.

Three are still hospitalized, one in critical care. All are responding to treatment with a different antiviral, she said.

Hart said so far there is no averment that the resistant strain spread outside the hospital and that it does not appear to be any more severe than nonresistant strains.

Read more...

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