# 3440
Helen Branswell, who most certainly ranks among the top flu reporters in the world, brings us her take on the Tamiflu resistant case out of Hong Kong that was reported late last week (see Once Is Happenstance, Twice Is Coincidence . . .).
As Ms. Branswell points out, this case is a bit different from the other two reports of resistance we’ve seen; in this case the patient never received Tamiflu.
With a Branswell story, the best thing I can do is get out of the way. Follow the link to read it in its entirety.
Tamiflu resistant H1N1 from Hong Kong more worrying than earlier findings
By Helen Branswell –
TORONTO — All cases of Tamiflu resistance are not created equal. So while the first three instances of swine flu infection with Tamiflu-resistant viruses were reported in the past week, it was Number 3, not Number 1 that put influenza experts on edge.
Public health authorities in Hong Kong announced Friday they have found a case of Tamiflu resistance in a woman who hadn't taken the drug. That means she was infected with swine flu viruses that were already resistant to Tamiflu, the main weapon in most countries' and companies' pandemic drug arsenals.
The two earlier cases, reported from Denmark and Japan, involved people who had been taking the medication. While always unwelcome, that type of resistance is known to occur with seasonal strains and may be less of a threat to the long-term viability of this key flu drug.
"It was not at all surprising to see resistance in patients on treatment but seeing it in someone who was not treated, it certainly is more concerning," says Dr. Malik Peiris, a flu expert at the University of Hong Kong.
There is currently no evidence Tamiflu-resistant viruses are spreading widely. Still, some experts see the Hong Kong case as a warning Tamiflu's role in this pandemic may not be as long-lived as pandemic planners would like.
"I think it's too early to judge," says Dr. Frederick Hayden, an expert on influenza antivirals who teaches at the University of Virginia. "But I think that possibility has existed from the beginning."
