Flu Pill Found to Work Almost as a Vaccine

Not only does the prescription flu therapy Tamiflu treat influenza, but a pill a day during an outbreak can prevent the illness almost as a vaccine does, the government announced Monday.

But don’t deliberately skip a flu shot and plan on simply taking a few Tamiflu pills, the Food and Drug Administration stressed.

“Our message is still that vaccination is the No. 1 preventive method against influenza,” said Dr. Debra Birnkrant, the FDA’s acting antiviral drug director.

Despite vaccination campaigns, influenza sickens 20 million Americans each year, kills 20,000 and hospitalizes thousands more. So doctors have long hoped for ways to protect more people--especially the unvaccinated and elderly patients in nursing homes, where flu takes a huge toll.

Tamiflu, made by New Jersey-based Hoffmann-La Roche, already is used as a treatment that shortens flu patients’ misery by about a day, if taken shortly after symptoms appear.

But Monday, the FDA announced that one Tamiflu pill taken every day during a flu outbreak can help prevent people 13 and older from getting sick in the first place. It works by targeting a protein important to the flu virus’ ability to infect cells.

For many people, once-a-year vaccination will remain the easier and cheaper method. Many Americans, including Medicare patients, get flu shots free through insurers or employers, or for less than $20 during public vaccine campaigns.

In contrast, a 10-day supply of Tamiflu costs $49 wholesale--and patients have to swallow a pill every day of an outbreak, which in some Tamiflu studies lasted 42 days. Hoffmann-La Roche is negotiating with insurance companies about covering Tamiflu for flu prevention; Medicare doesn’t pay for prescription drugs.