Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PR Newswire, 24 December 1996.
The report advised physicians to continue vaccinating all high-risk individuals who have not yet received a flu shot this season and to consider revaccinating those high-risk individuals who've received the weakened flu vaccine, especially those with chronic, debilitating medical conditions.
The CDC and FDA also suggest use of an antiviral, such as rimantadine (Forest's Flumadine) or amantadine, as an alternative flu prevention measure for high-risk patients, especially the chronically ill, institutionalized and/or severely debilitated individuals who've been exposed or could be exposed to the influenza A virus during outbreaks. Although antivirals are not a substitute for vaccination, they may be used in specific situations to protect those at increased risk of developing influenza-related complications. Flumadine can provide protection to high-risk patients during the 2 to 4 week period it takes for the vaccine to become effective after immunization.
For those patients who become infected with the influenza A virus, Flumadine helps shorten the duration and lessen the severity of flu symptoms when taken within the first 48 hours of symptom onset. Flumadine significantly improves symptoms such as fever, myalgia, headache and cough as early as day 2 of treatment. In controlled clinical trials, Flumadine's side effects included nausea, insomnia, and dizziness, each of which generally occurred in less than 3 percent of patients. Flumadine is associated with significantly fewer central nervous system side effects than amantadine.
CONTACT: Denise Connolly of GTFH Public Relations, for Forest Laboratories, 212-886-3117/ 18:31 EST
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