Showing posts with label H1N1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label H1N1. Show all posts

Monday, November 2, 2009

FDA authorizes emergency use of IV antiviral "Peramivir"...

As for as my knowledge goes Peramvir, is an experimental antiviral drug, and being developed by BioCryst Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of influenza. Peramivir is a neuraminidase inhibitor, acting as a transition-state analogue inhibitor of influenza neuraminidase and thereby preventing new viruses from emerging from infected cells.

The development of peramivir is supported by the US Department of Health and Human Services as part of the US government's effort to prepare against the threat of an influenza pandemic.

The drug has had a long history. An oral formulation was abandoned by Johnson and Johnson due to poor bioavailability. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals is now developing a injectable version, in partnership with Green Cross Pharmaceuticals in South Korea and with Shionogi Pharmaceuticals in Japan. The drug is in Phase II studies

More interesting recent news (Oct. 23, 2009) about this drug is that, FDA has announced the issuing of an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the investigational antiviral drug peramivir intravenous (IV) in certain adult and pediatric patients with confirmed or suspected 2009 H1N1 influenza infection who are admitted to a hospital.

Specifically, IV peramivir is authorized only for hospitalized adult and pediatric patients for whom therapy with an IV drug is clinically appropriate based on one or more of the following reasons:
  1. the patient is not responding to either oral or inhaled antiviral therapy, or
  2. when drug delivery by a route other than an intravenous route -- e.g., enteral (absorbed by the intestines) or inhaled -- is not expected to be dependable or feasible;
  3. for adults only, when the clinician judges IV therapy is appropriate due to other circumstances.....
more..

Friday, October 30, 2009

Triple-combo Drug for Antiviral-resistant H1N1 ?

In laboratory testing, the triple combination of oseltamivir (Tamiflu), amantadine (Symmetrel) and ribavirin showed a significant capacity to stop flu-virus growth, says Mark Prichard....


More...http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091027132426.htm

Thursday, September 17, 2009

FDA Okays Vaccines for 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus !

At last one can breathe a sigh of relief from the H1N1 pandemic.....


FDA's approval of the Vaccine for H1N1.........


News: FDA Okays Vaccines for 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus.

Shared via AddThis

Sunday, September 13, 2009

How one can prepare for the H1N1 flu ......

We all should be thankful to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for there effort in educating about the health problems.  I find these webcasts very useful in understanding the H1N1 flu and how one  can prepare for this pandemic.  The efforts by the govt., is  highly appreciable as there are many myths about this virus !.

Those interested can go through the webcast archives   about the H1N1 flu.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

A single dose vaccine for Swine flu !.....

I am reading anything and everything about this H1N1, since it started in Mexico and there were so many different names (many names  like - swine flu !, Mexican flu, ....).   The deadly virus has caused panic in each and every country, where there are reports of infection of H1N1.  The real concern is the use of antibiotics and the real black market  for Tamiflu and so many falsely claimed  drugs. Now thanx to Dr. Russell Basser and group who have found that a single 15-µg dose of 2009 H1N1 vaccine was immunogenic in adults, with mild-to-moderate vaccine-associated reactions. Congrats for for this important  achievement. 

A (H1N1) 2009 virus is responsible for the first influenza pandemic in 41 years. This itself shows how important the vaccine is.  The results are really interesting and as per the claim by the researchers : by day 21 after vaccination,  antibody titers of 1:40 or more were observed in 96.7%  those who received the 15-µg dose  and 93.3% who received the 30-µg dose. No deaths, serious adverse events, or adverse events of special interest were reported. Local discomfort (e.g., injection-site tenderness or pain) was reported by 46.3% of subjects, and systemic symptoms (e.g., headache) by 45.0% of subjects. Nearly all events were mild to moderate in intensity.  

Hope the efforts by the Australian drug maker CSL, Ltd. has yielded a novel vaccine that could take care of the H1N1 pandemic. Congrats once again for this achievement. 

Ref : http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMoa0907413