WHO Not Worried About Drug-Resistant Flu Pandemic -- Yet

July 8, 2009

WHO Not Worried About Drug-Resistant Pandemic Flu -- Yet

Three Tamiflu-Resistant H1N1 Swine Flu Cases Worldwide So Far

By MICHAEL SMITH, MedPage Today Staff Writer, TORONTO, July 8, 2009

Public health authorities are reporting three cases of the pandemic H1N1

influenza in which the virus was resistant to a key antiviral drug.

But a top World Health Organization official said he isn't yet concerned about

the emergence of widespread, drug resistant strain of the potentially deadly

virus.

Until now, all tested strains of the novel H1N1 flu have been susceptible to

oseltamivir, known by the brand name Tamiflu, an antiviral drug that can be used

to prevent or treat influenza.

But the three cases of a drug resistant virus -- one each in Hong Kong, Denmark,

and Japan -- suggest that resistance could arise.

Although most experts say they are not alarmed so far, they note that if

widespread resistance to oseltamivir arises, it could take an important weapon

out of the hands of doctors.

" Tamiflu has been the main stockpiled drug to be used for treatment and

prevention of pandemic influenza, and obviously rapidly developing resistance

would be a problem if it were to occur, " said Dr. Ohl, associate

professor of medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine's Section on

Infectious Diseases in Winston-Salem, N.C. " A Tamiflu-resistant virus would not

respond to Tamiflu treatment or preventive administration. "

What is worrying some is that one of the cases of resistance occurred in a woman

in Hong Kong who had not been treated with the drug. In the other two cases, the

patients had been given the drug as a preventive measure, according to Dr. Keiji

Fukuda of WHO.

Fukuda said the agency is monitoring the situation closely, but no other cases

have yet turned up. Moreover, he said, there's no evidence that a resistant

strain is beginning to circulate.

" Right now this looks like spontaneous mutation in these patients, " Fukuda said

at a press conference Tuesday. He said all three patients had the same mutation,

and all three had " uncomplicated " disease from which they made full recoveries.

He added there's also no evidence of a resistant strain in any of the contacts

of the three patients...

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