Worries grow about Tamiflu's avian flu-fighting ability

Doubts have risen about Tamiflu's ability to fight a global avian flu pandemic after doctors from the Oxford University clinical research group determined that two patients swiftly developed a resistance to the antiviral drug. Governments have been clamoring for stockpiles of Tamiflu as one of the few practical defense measures at hand. But researchers have long warned that the use of Tamiflu also increases the risk of a new avian flu viral mutation that would render Tamiflu ineffective. Health officials in Indonesia say that two more people have died from the H5N1 virus, bringing the global death toll to 73 so far.

- read this article [1] from The Guardian for more information

ALSO: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals of Birmingham has received an FDA approval to begin clinical trials of its injectable flu drug. Researchers have said that peramivir may be effective against multiple strains of the flu, including avian flu. Report [2] £