When flu season rolls around each year, the doctor’s orders are generally the same: Get your vaccine, wash your hands every chance you get, and if you contract the virus anyway, head to your physician’s office stat to see if Tamiflu—or some other treatment—can rid you of the illness. But for the first time in almost 20 years, the Food and Drug Administration just approved a new antiviral prescription for treating the flu that only requires a single dose, a release from the FDA’s newsroom reports.
Xofluza ($150, or as little as $30 for insured customers who use a coupon) will be available across the US in the coming weeks, according to the drug’s manufacturer Genentech, reports Time. The drug has been approved for anyone 12 or older within 48 hours of beginning to exhibit flu like symptoms, and unlike other treatments like Tamiflu and Relenza that require taking multiple pills a day, just one Xofluza pill will do the trick. Meaning, no need to interrupt your fever-dream-induced hibernation mode with alarms that remind you to take your medication.
“With thousands of people getting the flu every year, and many people becoming seriously ill, having safe and effective treatment alternatives is critical. This novel drug provides an important, additional treatment option.” —Scott Gottlieb, MD, FDA Commissioner
In two randomized control trials, researchers tested the efficacy of the new drug by giving 1,832 patients Xofluza, a placebo, or another antiviral treatment within 48 hours of exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Xofluza worked better than the placebo in both trials. And in the second, Xofluza and other antivirals nursed the patients back to health at the same rate.
“With thousands of people getting the flu every year, and many people becoming seriously ill, having safe and effective treatment alternatives is critical. This novel drug provides an important, additional treatment option,” says Scott Gottlieb, MD, FDA Commissioner. He also stresses that no antiviral treatment replaces getting the annual shot. “Flu season is already well underway, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting vaccinated by the end of October, as seasonal flu vaccine is one of the most effective and safest ways to protect yourself, your family and your community from the flu and serious flu-related complications, which can result in hospitalizations,” he adds. Six days and counting, folks!
If your winter cold feels like it’s stretching on and on, this might be why. And here’s an argument for drawing a ginger bath the second you get sniffly.
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