What about this new flu-fighter medication?
Q: The Japanese are fast-tracking a drug that KOs the influenza virus in one day. Since so many people here in the U.S. have died from the flu this season, why can’t we have it available here? — Anderson C., Ypsilanti, Michigan
A: Good question, and we want people to know why the Food and Drug Administration takes a wait-and-see approach. First, the drug called Xofluza won’t be available to consumers in Japan until their national insurer sets a price in May. (We wager it’ll sell for more in America.)
As for making it available to use in emergency situations here? Although a single dose of Xofluza eradicates the flu three times faster (in 24 hours) than the FDA-approved anti-viral called Tamiflu (five-day, two-doses-per-day regimen), if an elderly person is in the hospital with influenza, pneumonia and a compromised immune system (the typical profile of those who succumb to the flu), a dose at that late stage might not help.
Also, Xofluza works by denying the influenza virus an enzyme that it needs to replicate. Do we know what else happens to your immune system or your overall health when that enzyme is affected? No, and neither does the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry of Japan, which fasttracked Xofluza. They approved it in just four months.
We’ll know more about the drug by next year’s flu season, and if it doesn’t present risky side effects, it could be available in the U.S. in 2019. Switzerland-based Roche (they sell Tamiflu) already has acquired the license to sell Xofluza in the U.S. It also could turn out to be a valuable advance against many viral diseases.
The flu season isn’t over yet, so your best bet is to practice good hygiene, wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when you cough and stay up on your vaccinations. Anyone over 6 months of age who’s eligible for a flu vaccine should get it even now — and then again in October for the 2018-2019 season.
Dr. Mehmet Oz is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Dr. Mike Roizen is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen at youdocsdaily @sharecare.com.