Clearing the Air Around Influenza
Treatment
Prevention of transmission and treatment of infection and its complications with respiratory viruses focuses on specific interventions (antivirals) and aspecific interventions (e.g. antipyretics, vitamins, anti-inflammatory compounds).
Given the aspecific nature of the ILI syndrome and the ups and downs of circulation, the most sensible interventions are drugs such as antipyretics and anti-inflammatories. These usually provide temporary relief, especially with rest and fluid replacement.
Serious complications such as pneumonia should be treated with antibiotics and more complex therapies, usually in hospital.
TTE has covered antivirals in 37 posts, totalling over 32 thousand words between March 2023 and February 2024.
We even referred to the history of their discovery with original material from the MRC Common Cold Unit. Like vaccines, scores of potential candidates did not make it to registration. Here is a description of those that did, which are all anti-influenza:
The Story of Influenza Antivirals: Part 1
‘The first human influenza virus was isolated in 1933 by Smith, Andrewes and Laidlaw. By the 1950s, there was great interest in developing influenza antivirals, but although many were deemed promising, none made it beyond the first human experiments or even larger trials.
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