Flu treatment - zanamivir (review), amantadine and oseltamivir
| Guidance type: Technology appraisal |
| Date issued: February 2003 |
| Guidance currently being reviewed: See review |
| Reference: TA58 |
SummaryNICE considers that having a flu jab (‘immunisation’) is the most effective way of preventing illness from flu, and that the drugs for the treatment of flu shouldn’t be used instead of immunisation. NICE has recommended that amantadine should not be used for the treatment of flu. It has also recommended that zanamivir or oseltamivir should not be used to treat a flu-like illness in people who are otherwise healthy (that is, they are unlikely to be at risk of developing complications from flu). NICE recommends that when the number of people with flu reaches a high-enough level (that is, when influenza virus A or B is said to be ‘circulating in the community’), zanamivir or oseltamivir should be used to treat a flu-like illness in people who are considered to be at risk of developing complications, provided that they can start treatment within 48 hours of the symptoms starting. People who are considered to be ‘at-risk’ are those who are in at least one of the following groups.
Zanamivir or oseltamivir should be used to treat flu-like illness in at-risk adults (for the purposes of this guidance, this means people aged over 12 years). Oseltamivir should be used to treat flu-like illness in at-risk children (aged over 1 year). NICE has also recommended that monitoring schemes, such as those organised by the Public Health Laboratory Service and the Royal College of General Practitioners, should be used so that the start of an outbreak of influenza can be spotted as quickly as possible. This guidance replaces TA15 Flu - zanamivir. |
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Implementing this guidanceAny further information NICE has produced to help the NHS implement this guideline locally is linked to below:
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