# 3450
Today’s comforting news, delivered by Dr. Keiji Fukuda of the WHO, comes on the heels of the announcement last week of 3 separate cases of Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) resistance discovered in Denmark, Japan, and Hong Kong.
In at least one case (Hong Kong) resistance was found in a patient who had not received the antiviral drug, raising questions about its origin.
Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the fact that only a small fraction of 1% of all novel H1N1 cases ever get checked for antiviral resistance. A very small fraction.
While it is a bit hard (okay, impossible) to believe that with this limited degree of testing that we’ve somehow managed to pick up on the only 3 resistant cases in the world – there is nothing here to suggest that large quantities of Tamiflu resistant viruses are circulating.
This is something to keep a watchful eye on, but for now at least, officials still believe that Tamiflu remains effective at reducing the severity of pandemic flu symptoms in most pandemic H1N1 patients.
The rapid loss of Tamiflu as an effective treatment for the seasonal H1N1 virus is a reminder, however, of how quickly things can change.
So your actual level of comfort from today’s announcement may vary.
Tamiflu-resistant swine flu not spreading: WHO
Jul 07, 2009 02:13 PM
Laura MacInnis
Stephanie Nebehay
ReutersGENEVA – Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 flu does not appear to be spreading in a sustained or worrisome way, a World Health Organisation official said today.
"At this point we are not recommending any clinical changes to the approach in treating patients," WHO Acting Assistant Director-General Keiji Fukuda said, responding to the discovery of drug-resistant H1N1 viruses in three people.
"Right now these examples of oseltamivir resistance remain sporadic cases. We do not see any evidence of widespread movement of oseltamivir resistant viruses," he told a briefing, using the generic name for Tamiflu, an anti-viral tablet made by Roche and Gilead Sciences.
The three people whose H1N1 virus samples did not respond to Tamiflu – in Denmark, Japan and Hong Kong – have recovered completely from their infection, Fukuda said. He described the Tamiflu-resistant viruses as mutations and not a reassortment or combination with other influenza strains.
