Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2016/11/flu-scan-nov-03-2016
Flu Scan for Nov 03, 2016
Antiviral flu prophylaxis; Tamiflu expiration; Nigeria H5N1 outbreak
Filed Under:
Influenza, General; Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
[h=3]Single dose of laninamivir prevents flu in kids under 10[/h] A study published yesterday in the journal Pediatrics shows that a single inhaled dose of 20 milligrams of laninamivir octanoate reduced the relative risk of contracting influenza by 45.8% in children under the age of 10 years.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled study included 341 Japanese children from 2 to 9 years old who were assigned either the single dose of laninamivir or a placebo within 48 hours of a household index case reporting symptoms of influenza. After 10 days, the children were evaluated for illness.
Among those who received the drug, only 11%, or 18 out of 171, developed the flu, compared with 19%, or 33 out of 170, in the placebo group. Side effects and adverse events were similar in both groups. Children aged 2 to 7 years benefited the most from laninamivir.
Laninamivir is a neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI), a class of drugs that is commonly recommended for influenza. But data on the efficacy of NAIs in children is lacking. The most popular NAI, oseltamivir (Tamiflu), is currently recommended for use in children ages 7 and older.
Nov 2 Pediatrics study
[h=3]Study finds long-expired Tamiflu still potent[/h] A study assessing the shelf life of oseltamivir for possible pandemic flu applications found that batches of the drugs that were as much as 4 years past their expiration date still contained sufficient levels of the active ingredient. The study, from University of Michigan scientists, was published yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The researchers in July 2014 analyzed eight lots of oseltamivir that had expired from April 2010 to September 2012, as well as a lot that had not expired. They found concentrations of oseltamivir ranging from 91.0% to 104.8%, well within the 90%-to-110% US Pharmacopeia acceptance range.
The authors say the study "suggests that it is unnecessary to replace the entire cache [in the national stockpile] at this time. Instead, we propose a strategy to create a rotating inventory so that the cost of replacement is distributed over several years and the life of the existing lots is extended."
Nov 2 Am J Infect Control study
[h=3]Second H5N1 outbreak in Nigeria in 1 month[/h] Nigerian health officials yesterday reported an ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu that started on Oct 28, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Fifty birds died and 1,950 were destroyed after H5N1 was found on a farm in Ikwerre, in the southern coastal part of the country. The birds were 30-week-old laying hens. The source of the outbreak is not known, but poor farm biosecurity was a likely factor, the officials said.
On Oct 4, Nigerian officials reported another outbreak of H5N1 on a commercial farm in the southern part of the country that resulted in 1,300 deaths and 700 birds being culled. Nigeria has seen a resurgence of H5N1 in poultry over the past year.
Nov 2 OIE report
Flu Scan for Nov 03, 2016
Antiviral flu prophylaxis; Tamiflu expiration; Nigeria H5N1 outbreak
Filed Under:
Influenza, General; Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
[h=3]Single dose of laninamivir prevents flu in kids under 10[/h] A study published yesterday in the journal Pediatrics shows that a single inhaled dose of 20 milligrams of laninamivir octanoate reduced the relative risk of contracting influenza by 45.8% in children under the age of 10 years.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled study included 341 Japanese children from 2 to 9 years old who were assigned either the single dose of laninamivir or a placebo within 48 hours of a household index case reporting symptoms of influenza. After 10 days, the children were evaluated for illness.
Among those who received the drug, only 11%, or 18 out of 171, developed the flu, compared with 19%, or 33 out of 170, in the placebo group. Side effects and adverse events were similar in both groups. Children aged 2 to 7 years benefited the most from laninamivir.
Laninamivir is a neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI), a class of drugs that is commonly recommended for influenza. But data on the efficacy of NAIs in children is lacking. The most popular NAI, oseltamivir (Tamiflu), is currently recommended for use in children ages 7 and older.
Nov 2 Pediatrics study
[h=3]Study finds long-expired Tamiflu still potent[/h] A study assessing the shelf life of oseltamivir for possible pandemic flu applications found that batches of the drugs that were as much as 4 years past their expiration date still contained sufficient levels of the active ingredient. The study, from University of Michigan scientists, was published yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The researchers in July 2014 analyzed eight lots of oseltamivir that had expired from April 2010 to September 2012, as well as a lot that had not expired. They found concentrations of oseltamivir ranging from 91.0% to 104.8%, well within the 90%-to-110% US Pharmacopeia acceptance range.
The authors say the study "suggests that it is unnecessary to replace the entire cache [in the national stockpile] at this time. Instead, we propose a strategy to create a rotating inventory so that the cost of replacement is distributed over several years and the life of the existing lots is extended."
Nov 2 Am J Infect Control study
[h=3]Second H5N1 outbreak in Nigeria in 1 month[/h] Nigerian health officials yesterday reported an ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu that started on Oct 28, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Fifty birds died and 1,950 were destroyed after H5N1 was found on a farm in Ikwerre, in the southern coastal part of the country. The birds were 30-week-old laying hens. The source of the outbreak is not known, but poor farm biosecurity was a likely factor, the officials said.
On Oct 4, Nigerian officials reported another outbreak of H5N1 on a commercial farm in the southern part of the country that resulted in 1,300 deaths and 700 birds being culled. Nigeria has seen a resurgence of H5N1 in poultry over the past year.
Nov 2 OIE report