This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Anti-viral drugs and influenza

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

According to the chemical properties and spectrum of activity against influenza viruses, the drugs can be divided into:

  • adamantane derivatives - amantadine (not currently recommended for treatment of, and rimantadine
  • neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors - zanamivir and oseltamivir (1)

In terms of chemoprophylaxis:

  • treatments likely to be beneficial include:
    • oral oseltamivir (prevention of symptoms in influenza A and B)
    • orally inhaled zanamivir (prevention of symptoms in influenza A and B)
  • treatments likely to be ineffective or harmful
    • oral amantadine
    • oral rimantadine

In terms of antiviral treatment for cases of influenza:

  • treatments likely to be beneficial
    • oral oseltamivir for early treatment of influenza A and B (evidence reveals that there is a reduction in duration of symptoms and incidence of complications)
    • orally inhaled zanamivir for early treatment of influenza A or B (reduction in duration of symptoms and incidence of complications)
  • treatments likely to be ineffective or harmful
    • oral amantadine for early treatment of influenza A
    • oral rimantadine for early treatment of influenza A

Reference:


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.