The Best Flu Drug Americans Aren’t Taking
This flu season has been rough. Antivirals can help.
TL;DR
- This flu season is particularly severe, driven by a variant imperfectly matched to the vaccine.
- Antiviral drugs for influenza, like Tamiflu and Xofluza, are underused but can reduce illness severity and duration.
- Xofluza, approved in 2018, is a single-dose antiviral that is more convenient, causes fewer gastrointestinal side effects, and is better at reducing contagiousness and preventing serious complications compared to Tamiflu.
- Xofluza is also more effective against influenza B, although this is less relevant to the current season.
- Lower awareness, higher cost, and accessibility issues contribute to the underutilization of Xofluza compared to the generic Tamiflu.
- A new direct-to-customer program offers Xofluza at a reduced price, and the popularization of at-home rapid testing could facilitate earlier antiviral use.
- Improved use of antivirals, especially for high-risk patients, could significantly reduce flu-related deaths and complications.