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Source: http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ntentID=131946
Pioneering WA trial of lozenge to counter flu
24th March 2009, 6:00 WST
West Australians will be the first in the country to test a daily lozenge containing a natural human antiviral chemical which doctors hope will help to protect people against a severe flu season this year.
The University of WA and Path-West trial, funded by the Health Department and due to begin in May, is aimed at seeing whether the Canadian-made lozenges with low doses of the natural immune booster interferon alpha can prevent or reduce the severity of cold and flu symptoms.
Australian respiratory experts are warning that young children, particularly those aged up to four, face the risk of hospital admission with the flu if they are not vaccinated. The prediction comes after a spate of deaths in young children in the US during the northern hemisphere winter.
With flu infections likely to start developing in June, doctors are urging parents to vaccinate children as soon as possible to allow for the two weeks it takes for full immunity to develop.
Dr David Smith, from PathWest and the Influenza Specialist Group, said that of all vaccine-preventable disease, the flu was the leading cause of hospital admission in Australian children under five, causing as much sickness in them as in people over 65.
?Influenza is a serious illness for both elderly Australians and young children that can rapidly lead to hospitalisation,? he said. ?It is critical that parents and carers understand the potential severity of influenza, which can lead to hospitalisation and even death.
?We strongly urge everyone who should be having the flu vaccine, particularly young children and older people, to have it.?
Dr Smith, who is principal investigator for the lozenge trial, said interferon had been used as a treatment for respiratory viruses for many years but the Perth trial would use a lower dose that would be given orally rather than as a nasal spray or injection.
?This is a pioneering trial and the idea is that it gives a broad protection against a range of respiratory infections because it?s aimed at boosting your immunity rather than being directed at a specific virus,? he said.
?If we get the promising results we expect, we?ll be looking at this as a springboard for a larger trial and it could revolutionise the way we look at preventing infections.?
People wanting to join the trial need to be healthy, aged 18-75 and available for three appointments, including blood tests, from May to September. For more information, phone 9346 2241 or email bennetta@cyllene.uwa.edu.au.
CATHY O?LEARY
Pioneering WA trial of lozenge to counter flu
24th March 2009, 6:00 WST
West Australians will be the first in the country to test a daily lozenge containing a natural human antiviral chemical which doctors hope will help to protect people against a severe flu season this year.
The University of WA and Path-West trial, funded by the Health Department and due to begin in May, is aimed at seeing whether the Canadian-made lozenges with low doses of the natural immune booster interferon alpha can prevent or reduce the severity of cold and flu symptoms.
Australian respiratory experts are warning that young children, particularly those aged up to four, face the risk of hospital admission with the flu if they are not vaccinated. The prediction comes after a spate of deaths in young children in the US during the northern hemisphere winter.
With flu infections likely to start developing in June, doctors are urging parents to vaccinate children as soon as possible to allow for the two weeks it takes for full immunity to develop.
Dr David Smith, from PathWest and the Influenza Specialist Group, said that of all vaccine-preventable disease, the flu was the leading cause of hospital admission in Australian children under five, causing as much sickness in them as in people over 65.
?Influenza is a serious illness for both elderly Australians and young children that can rapidly lead to hospitalisation,? he said. ?It is critical that parents and carers understand the potential severity of influenza, which can lead to hospitalisation and even death.
?We strongly urge everyone who should be having the flu vaccine, particularly young children and older people, to have it.?
Dr Smith, who is principal investigator for the lozenge trial, said interferon had been used as a treatment for respiratory viruses for many years but the Perth trial would use a lower dose that would be given orally rather than as a nasal spray or injection.
?This is a pioneering trial and the idea is that it gives a broad protection against a range of respiratory infections because it?s aimed at boosting your immunity rather than being directed at a specific virus,? he said.
?If we get the promising results we expect, we?ll be looking at this as a springboard for a larger trial and it could revolutionise the way we look at preventing infections.?
People wanting to join the trial need to be healthy, aged 18-75 and available for three appointments, including blood tests, from May to September. For more information, phone 9346 2241 or email bennetta@cyllene.uwa.edu.au.
CATHY O?LEARY