Antiviral drugs are recommended for all patients who show flu symptoms, especially those who need to be treated. This is the strategy that must be followed during the periods of its coexistence flu and his coronavirus.
Studies have shown that people with coronavirus and influenza at the same time transmit the SARS-CoV-2 virus for a longer period of time than those with COVID-19 alone.
A recent systematic review of 26 randomized clinical trials published in the prestigious journal JAMA Network Open compared available antiviral drugs for seasonal influenza in healthy adults of all ages and children. The assay included randomized clinical trials comparing neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir, peramivir, zanamivir, lanamivir) and endonuclease inhibitors (baloxavir) with placebo.
The aim of the study was to answer the question which of the available antiviral drugs against seasonal flu has the best safety and effectiveness. The Doctors of the Therapeutic Clinic of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Eleni Kormomboki, Theodora Psaltopoulou and Thanos Dimopoulos (Rector of EKPA) summarize the data of this study.
The study analyzed total data from 11,897 patients, with a mean age of 32 years, 52.9% of whom were men. Among the most important findings of the study is that all antiviral drugs are associated with statistically significantly greater efficacy than placebo in reducing the duration of flu symptoms.
Zanamivir was associated with a shorter time from onset to remission of symptoms and baloxavir was associated with a lower risk of influenza-related complications and a lower rate of side effects compared to other treatments.
Based on these findings, the researchers conclude that the antiviral zanamavir should be given as soon as possible to patients with flu symptoms, while those who are considered to be at high risk for complications should be given the antiviral baloxavir.
The article Influenza: These Are The Ideal Antiviral Drugs – What Happens To People With Coronavirus published in NewsIT .