| ■ WHO reports some Tamiflu-resistant flu in U.S. | 2008.02.04 |
| GENEVA (Reuters) - The main influenza virus circulating in the United States has shown raised resistance to Roche Holding Ag's Tamiflu, already found to be less potent in parts of Europe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday. The WHO said that until further study was done, it was too early to know what if any potential there might be for such an increase in resistance to Tamiflu to occur in H5N1 bird flu viruses. The agency was not changing its recommendation Tamiflu be used for prevention and treatment of human bird flu. The WHO said it was still investigating the extent of resistance worldwide to Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, in some H1N1 viruses which have a mutation making them "highly resistant." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a five percent prevalence of resistance to Tamiflu, in samples of H1N1 virus tested to date, it said in a statement. |