Tamiflu and Relenza: the big lie of Big Pharma
Tamiflu and relenza are drugs widely used for the prevention and treatment of influenza in adults and children. Earlier studies have demonstrated the ability of these drugs to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization and the development of complications with influenza. However, according to the results of the latest review of the Cochrane Collaboration, these statements do not have convincing evidence.
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and relenza (zanamivir) belong to a class of drugs known as neuraminidase inhibitors. Both drugs are believed to prevent and alleviate flu symptoms by stopping the spread of the flu virus through the body.
Currently, tamiflu is recommended for the treatment of influenza in patients aged 2 weeks and older, in cases where symptoms last no more than 2 days. The drug can also be used to prevent influenza in people aged 1 year and older. Relenza is used for the treatment of influenza in patients aged 7 years and older and can be used for the prevention of the disease starting from the age of 5.
According to researchers involved in the latest review, including Dr. Carl Heneghan from the University of Oxford, UK, and Dr. Peter Doshi from the University of Maryland, USA, both drugs are purchased in advance for use against seasonal and pandemic flu outbreaks. For example, the United States spends more than $1.3 billion on creating reserves of anti-influenza drugs.
Such stocks are made by countries based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control. These recommendations are based on a summary of the benefit-harm ratio compiled by the European Medicines Agency and the results of clinical studies conducted by drug manufacturers such as GlaxoSmithKline.
In 2009, Cochrane Collaboration researchers expressed a desire to test the safety and efficacy of neuraminidase inhibitors. However, drug manufacturers refused to provide full access to the results of clinical trials. This raised suspicions about the reliability of published data on the benefits and risks associated with taking this class of drugs, as well as doubts about the feasibility of creating their reserve stocks.
In 2012, information was published that the British Medical Journal was putting pressure on the manufacturer of tamiflu, Roche, in order to obtain data collected during clinical trials of the drug.
Having gained access to the initial clinical data, the researchers analyzed 20 complete internal reports on the effectiveness of tamiflu and 26 reports on the effectiveness of relenza. In total, the analyzed reports contain information about 24,000 research participants. The data obtained as a result of the analysis cast doubt on previously made statements about the effectiveness of drugs and the risks associated with their use.
Thus, the authors of the review found that tamiflu accelerates the cure of flu symptoms by only 0.5 days (from 7 to 6.3 days) compared with placebo.
The drug does not reduce the risk of hospitalization and the development of complications in serious cases of influenza, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis and otitis, both in adults and children.
It also turned out that taking the drug increases the likelihood of nausea and vomiting in adults and children by 4% and 5%, respectively. The use of tamiflu for flu prevention increased the risk of psychiatric disorders by 1%. The possibility of developing these side effects was not mentioned in the first publications of the results of clinical trials.
Moreover, in some people, taking the drug suppressed the synthesis of their own antibodies against the influenza virus.
A similar picture emerged during the analysis of data on clinical studies of relenza. In adults, taking the drug reduced the duration of the period of flu symptoms from 6.6 to 6 days (by 14.4 hours) compared with placebo. Even such differences were not found in children.
There was also no evidence that relenza reduces the risk of complications or hospitalization.
Based on the results of a painstaking analysis of the results of clinical trials, the authors declare the need to revise the recommendations for the use of tamiflu and relenza for the prevention and treatment of influenza.
They also note that this work has clearly demonstrated the viciousness of the existing system for evaluating the effectiveness of experimental drugs as never before. In order for this system to really start working for the benefit of patients and the public interest, considerable efforts will have to be made.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru according to Medical News Today:
Review of Tamiflu and Relenza questions their effectiveness against flu.
14.04.2014