A new flu drug has just been approved before the flu season | Simplemost

Last year, the United States experienced one of the most deadly influenza seasons for over four decades. Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that over the past winter, about 80,000 Americans have died from flu-related illnesses and complications – a figure of around 30,000 of a typical season.

With the flu season fast approaching, it's more important than ever to arm yourself and your loved ones against the virus. And baloxavir marboxil, the first FDA-approved antiviral drug for the flu in the United States for nearly two decades, will be part of this line of defense, the agency said Wednesday.

Baloxavir, which will be sold under the brand name Xofluza, is a single-dose drug to treat the symptoms of uncomplicated acute influenza in persons 12 years of age and older with flu symptoms not exceeding 48 hours. . In making its decision, the FDA evaluated the results of two clinical trials involving nearly 2,000 patients, who found that Xofluza reduced the duration and severity of influenza symptoms.

"With thousands of people getting the flu each year and many people seriously ill, safe and effective substitution treatments are essential," FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. "This new drug provides an important additional treatment option."

Xofluza will join several other FDA-approved antiviral drugs for the flu, such as Tamiflu, a five-day treatment. But Gottlieb has nevertheless urged families to be vaccinated against influenza if they have not done so, because "annual vaccination is the main way to prevent and control influenza epidemics," he said in a statement. Press release.

Although effectiveness varies from year to year, influenza vaccine is responsible for preventing the disease in millions of people. During the 2016-2017 season, influenza vaccination has prevented more than 5 million illnesses and 85,000 influenza-related hospitalizations, according to the CDC.

Yet, there is always a chance of contracting the flu, even with vaccination. Some strains of the flu, such as H3N2, can mutate rapidly, making it harder to develop a targeted vaccine against this virus. In addition, influenza strains often change from one season to another, which weakens the effectiveness of antiviral drugs.

"It's important to have more treatment options that attack the virus in different ways, because the flu virus can become resistant to antivirals," said Debra Birnkrant, MD, director of the antiviral products division of the FDA, in a statement.

Xofluza will be available to patients across the United States in the coming weeks – and at an exorbitant price. The single dose drug will cost $ 150, although some people can get it at a discounted rate.