current map of bird flu regions, page-3

Hi Alan,

Medical experts are saying relenza is just as effective as Tamiflu and should be considered by governments for stockpiling. here is an extract from Bloomberg...



Aug. 12 (Bloomberg) -- GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Relenza may be as effective as Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu in the treatment of bird flu, and should be included in government stockpiles against the potentially fatal illness, researchers said in this week's Lancet medical journal.

Relenza, also known as zanamivir, causes fewer adverse reactions than Tamiflu and has a favorable resistance profile, according to Kenneth Tsang, a researcher at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong. Tsang's study showed both drugs have similar efficacy.

The recommendation may boost sales of Relenza, which analysts estimated might reach sales of $2 billion when London-based Glaxo introduced it in 1999. The product brought in $3 million last year for Glaxo, the world's second-largest drugmaker. The U.S. and other countries have bought Tamiflu to prepare against the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has killed 57 people, or about half of those infected in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.

``Governments should also consider stockpiling zanamivir as an anti-influenza agent in their pandemic plans,'' Tsang wrote in the article.