tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Emerg Med Clin North Am
. 2026 Aug;44(3):495-505.
doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2026.01.005. Epub 2026 May 7.
Antivirals Improve Outcomes in Influenza
Tonmoy Shanto[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yusuf Zarhiya[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jaclyn Dibello[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Abbas Husain[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Influenza is a significant global health concern, with millions of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths annually, particularly impacting older adults and children. Antivirals like neuramidase inhibitors (oseltamivir, zanamivir, and peramivir) and endonuclease inhibitors (baloxavir) can help with treatment when started within 48 hours of symptom onset, primarily shortening illness duration by about 1 day. They should also be considered for treatment of hospitalized, severely ill, or high-risk patients (ie. elerly, pregnant and immunocompromized). However, for healthy, low-risk outpatients, the clinical benefit is modest, adn the risk of side effects is high.
Keywords: Antiviral; Influenza; Neuraminidase; Oseltamivir; Peramivir; Zanamivir.
. 2026 Aug;44(3):495-505.
doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2026.01.005. Epub 2026 May 7.
Antivirals Improve Outcomes in Influenza
Tonmoy Shanto[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Yusuf Zarhiya[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jaclyn Dibello[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Abbas Husain[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 42342305
- DOI: 10.1016/j.emc.2026.01.005
Influenza is a significant global health concern, with millions of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths annually, particularly impacting older adults and children. Antivirals like neuramidase inhibitors (oseltamivir, zanamivir, and peramivir) and endonuclease inhibitors (baloxavir) can help with treatment when started within 48 hours of symptom onset, primarily shortening illness duration by about 1 day. They should also be considered for treatment of hospitalized, severely ill, or high-risk patients (ie. elerly, pregnant and immunocompromized). However, for healthy, low-risk outpatients, the clinical benefit is modest, adn the risk of side effects is high.
Keywords: Antiviral; Influenza; Neuraminidase; Oseltamivir; Peramivir; Zanamivir.