THE first case of swine flu resistant to Tamiflu raises questions about a policy in some countries of giving low, “prophylactic” doses of drugs to those who have come into contact with infected people.
On 29 June, Denmark’s National Board of Health the first known case of H1N1 swine flu resistant to the most popular antiviral drug. The woman was in contact with an infected person and was put on low-dose Tamiflu as a precaution, but she developed flu anyway.
She has now recovered after taking the antiviral Relenza, and the drug-resistant strain appears not to have spread. The State Serum Institute in Copenhagen assumes resistance emerged during treatment with Tamiflu, as low doses can favour the emergence of resistant strains.
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If health authorities continue to hand out prophylactic treatments, further resistant cases are likely to emerge. As many countries have stockpiled Tamiflu, and a specific vaccine is unlikely to be available in time for the next wave of swine flu, this could prove disastrous.