relenza-u.s.a approval

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2006-03-29T172600Z_01_N29324294_RTRUKOC_0_US-FLU.xml&archived=False

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc's prescription flu treatment Relenza has won U.S. approval for preventing influenza in adults and children ages 5 and older, regulators said on Wednesday.

The inhaled drug already is sold for treating the flu in adults and children.

"This approval is a welcome addition to the available defenses against the flu," said Dr. Steven Galson, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Roche AG's Tamiflu, which is a pill, is the only other medicine approved for both treating the flu and preventing it.

Countries around the world have been stockpiling Tamiflu and Relenza for use in case the H5N1 avian flu changes to a form that spreads easily among people and causes a deadly, global pandemic.

It is unclear, however, if either drug would work against a pandemic strain.

Glaxo shares were down 43 cents at $52.22 in late morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange.