All the World’s a Laboratory
Disease outbreaks like the swine flu epidemic present an unparalleled opportunity — and to us, as doctors, an imperative — to gain knowledge to better protect the public. The spreading H1N1 influenza, now found in 40 countries and confirmed in some 10,000 patients, provides the chance to learn more about the drugs we are counting on using against it.
In the United States, the Strategic National Stockpile contains two drugs for influenza — oseltamivir, known by the trade name Tamiflu, and zanamivir, called Relenza. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site recommends that these drugs be given to selected patients who have the flu and be considered for other people in the patients’ households who are at risk of serious complications if they become infected.… Seguir leyendo »