BRIEF—Tamiflu reduces death in early influenza A/H3N2, says study

Roche's antiviral Tamiflu (oseltamivir) reduced mortality in severely ill patients with influenza A/H3N2, according to research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The research from the Hellenic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Athens, Greece, found that the treatment was not linked to a decrease in overall influenza-associated mortality.

“Severely ill patients with suspected influenza should be promptly treated with oseltamivir, particularly when A/H3N2 is circulating,” the 1,330-patient study concluded. “The efficacy of oseltamivir should not be assumed to be equal against all types of influenza.”