Although Antivirals Had Some Positive Effects On The Treatment Of Severe Influenza And Prevention Of The Flu, Many Outcomes Were Uncertain, Studies Show

MedPage Today (8/26, Kahn) reports, “Although antivirals had some positive effects on the treatment of severe influenza and prevention of the flu, many effects on outcomes were uncertain, according to two World Health Organization-funded systematic reviews and network meta-analyses.” The first analysis showed that the “treatment of severe influenza with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and peramivir (Rapivab) appeared to reduce the length of hospital stays, but overall the effects of antivirals on key clinical outcomes – such as mortality – remained questionable.” Meanwhile, another analysis discovered that “post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with a range of antivirals probably decreased risk of severe disease in high-risk individuals after exposure to seasonal influenza viruses and may have also reduced the risk of zoonotic infection after exposure to novel influenza A viruses.” The findings from both analyses were published in The Lancet.