Baloxavir Marboxil Reduces Household Transmission Of Influenza, Study Finds

MedPage Today (4/23, Haelle) reports a study found that “a single dose of the antiviral baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza) led to a lower incidence of influenza virus transmission to household contacts compared with placebo.” Researchers observed that “five days after receiving the intervention, the adjusted incidence of transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza was 9.5% with baloxavir compared with 13.4% with placebo, resulting in an adjusted relative risk reduction of 29%.” Researchers noted that the difference in transmission incidence favoring baloxavir occurred “across age groups, seasons, influenza types (A[H1N1pdm09], A[H3N2], and B), times from symptom onset to receipt of baloxavir or placebo, and geographic regions.” With that said, “experts caution that baloxavir resistance and limited data on novel flu strains remain key challenges.” The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.