To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Relenza, An Inhaled Anti-Flu Medication, Now Available Across Canada URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/150B32.htm Doctor's Guide December 15, 1999
TORONTO, ON -- December 15, 1999 -- In the midst of what health experts are calling a particularly virulent flu season, Relenza(TM) (zanamivir), the first inhaled antiviral medication for treating the flu, is now available in pharmacies across the country. Relenza was granted Health Canada approval on November 2, 1999, after receiving a fast-track review. "Relenza will provide much needed relief to the millions of Canadians who are expected to get the flu this year," says Dr. Anne Phillips, Infectious Disease Specialist at St. Michael's Hospital and Director, Medical Department at Glaxo Wellcome. "For the first time, they will have access to a treatment that is active against all flu strains, including those not covered by this year's vaccine. If taken within the first two days of symptom onset, Relenza significantly reduces the duration of flu and the severity of symptoms, and will help flu sufferers get back to normal functioning sooner." Glaxo Wellcome also announced that it has filed an application to the Therapeutic Products Program in Ottawa for approval to market Relenza for the prevention of influenza ('flu') in adults and children aged 5 years and older, and treatment in children aged 5 years and older. Relenza is currently approved for the treatment, but not prevention, of flu in people over 12 years of age, in 23 countries including Canada. Children, like the elderly, are at a higher risk of acquiring serious complications from flu such as bronchitis and pneumonia, and typically have the highest rates of infection. A recently completed study of influenza in paediatrics, conducted in the United Kingdom and involving 69 children aged four to 13 years, also demonstrated that yearly childhood flu has a significant impact on society through increased healthcare resource use, absenteeism from school and work, and the need for alternative child-care arrangements. Relenza is inhaled via a device similar to an asthma "puffer". Taken twice daily for five days for the treatment of flu, Relenza quickly achieves high concentrations in the lungs, particularly on the surface of the respiratory tract where the virus replicates. Although flu sufferers feel symptoms all over, the virus itself is confined to the respiratory tract. Inhaled Relenza reaches the site of infection directly, providing a fast onset of action and minimizing the risk of side effects. Flu sufferers are advised to visit a walk-in-clinic or obtain an appointment with their family physician if they require treatment; they are not advised to visit the emergency department of their local hospital seeking Relenza treatment. - Influenza ('flu') is a viral infection that resides primarily in the lungs and typically causes significant disease that can be incapacitating. Flu affects three to five million Canadians each year, causes 70,000 - 75,000 hospitalizations, and claims nearly 7000 lives. Estimated flu-related costs to the Canadian economy are over $1 billion annually. - Both flu and colds are highly contagious respiratory infections caused by viruses. Although both illnesses result in increased use of healthcare resources and lost productivity, flu produces severe symptoms that can lead to pneumonia and even death in high-risk patients (e.g., the elderly and those with respiratory and heart disease). Unlike colds, flu produces an abrupt onset of fever, muscle aches and pains, chills and headache. - Vaccines are used before the beginning of the flu season based on recommendations from public health authorities. Immunity from a specific strain typically lasts four to six months. Relenza is a complementary treatment - and not a replacement - to vaccination. - Relenza is the first in a new class of anti-viral drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors. Neuraminidase is an enzyme which the virus needs in order to spread and infect other healthy cells in the respiratory tract. Delivered directly to the respiratory tract where the virus replicates, Relenza inhibits the action of neuraminidase and helps prevent the virus from spreading and infecting other healthy cells. - Clinical studies with over 6000 patients worldwide show that Relenza is well tolerated, with a safety/tolerability profile similar to placebo. Relenza has been shown to reduce the duration of flu and the severity of symptoms. Some studies have also shown a reduction in associated complications such as pneumonia and in antibiotic usage. Related Links: Relenza (zanamivir) and Glaxo Wellcome. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. 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