No Need of High Tamiflu Dosage in Critically Ill H1N1patients

A high dosage of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) for patients with critical illness is unlikely to be required for the treatment of pandemic (H1N1) influenza, a new study has found.

The study has appeared in Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

Swine Flu | Swine Influenza | Hog Flu | Pig Flu
Swine flu, a type of influenza caused by a new strain of the H1N1 Type A influenza virus has originated from the pigs. Winter always brings along the chills and the flu, make sure you're safe this season.

The study goes against the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, which say all critically ill patients should be treated with Tamiflu and if the patient was unresponsive to standard doses, or critically ill, a higher dose should be considered. As critically ill patients may have gastrointestinal absorption issues, guidelines suggest higher doses of Tamiflu.

The CMAJ study looked at the gastrointestinal absorption of Tamiflu in 44 patients, 18 years of age or older, with suspected or confirmed pandemic (H1N1) influenza who were admitted to nine ICUs in the two Canadian cities of Winnipeg and Ottawa and Tarragona, Spain, because of respiratory failure.

"Studying the absorption ability of Tamiflu in the critically ill became a priority with the large number of patients needing ICU and ventilation support,"

UN Warns 'Explosive' Swine Flu Threat for Poor Nations
Poor countries face explosive outbreaks of the global swine flu pandemic and need speedy financial assistance to access vaccines, UN officials warned on Sunday.

Lead author Dr. Anand Kumar, Health Sciences Centre, University of Manitoba and coauthors, write: "Also, the number of obese patients suffering from H1N1 related critical illnesses were large which raised the question about whether the dose should be adjusted upwards with increased body weight."

Blood sampling suggested that the 75 mg twice daily dosage of Tamiflu was well absorbed in critically ill patients with respiratory failure. Blood levels of the antiviral were similar or higher than levels in ambulatory patients with a similar dosage. Patients with kidney dysfunction requiring dialysis needed an adjusted dose but adjustment for obesity was not required.

Flying Rabbis Try to Protect Israel from Swine Flu
In a never seen before sight, a group of rabbis and Jewish mystics are circling Israel from the air and blowing religious horns to ward off swine flu from the country.

The authors conclude: "The findings of this study suggest that an increased Tamiflu dosage is unlikely to be necessary in such cases based on either insufficient drug absorption or altered distribution pharmacokinetics."

Source-ANI
RAS

Bacteria Co-infections Common in Swine Flu Deaths: CDC
Many people who have died from swine flu in the United States were also infected with other bacteria, including one which can cause pneumonia or meningitis, US health officials said Wednesday.