Extending swine flu vaccination 'more effective' than antivirals

The team from the University of York conducted a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of the antiviral treatments oseltamivir (tamiflu) and zanamivir (relenza). The study assessed both healthy adults and those at risk of flu-related complications, such as people with lung or heart disease or diabetes.

The researchers found that in healthy adults, tamiflu reduced the median time to symptom alleviation by 0.55 days, and relenza by 0.57 days. For at-risk groups, the reductions were 0.74 days for tamiflu and 0.98 days for relenza.  

These reductions in symptoms are relatively small in the context of the overall length of symptoms for most patients and although the study, which is published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, is based on data for seasonal flu, the findings could have relevance for the current H1N1 pandemic, the researchers said.

They added that several other approaches might be more clinically and cost-effective than treating individuals as they present with flu symptoms, including vaccination, post-exposure prophylaxis, making the drugs available over the counter, and expectant treatment, where people who have been in contact with flu are prescribed antiviral drugs to be taken as and when symptoms present.

However, the authors warned that any strategy that increases the availability of the drugs to the general public could increase the rate of inappropriate use, and increase the chances of viral strains developing resistance.

‘Extension of the vaccination policy might be a more appropriate choice for healthy adults, and an assessment of cost-effectiveness that includes societal costs of extending the UK vaccination policy to all working-age adults seems desirable,’ they said. 

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