imperative that more drugs to beat the H5N1 virus were developed

According to a respected medical organisation in the United Kingdom relying on Tamiflu to beat a possible bird flu pandemic is not enough and that other types of influenza medications should also be stockpiled with it.

The National Institute for Medical Research based in London said that it was possible that the over use of the Tamiflu drug in a pandemic could make the bird flu virus resistant to the medication and render it less effective. Steve Gamblin speaking on behalf of the Institute said that in order not to be the “outflanked” by the bird flu virus it would be sensible to have stocks not only of the Tamiflu medication but also of Relenza which is also seen to be effective against the H5N1 bird flu virus. He went on to say that it was imperative that more drugs to beat the H5N1 virus were developed so that people could be treated in a “three or four pronged” approach.

This warning about over dependence on the Tamiflu drug could increase demand for the Relenza medication which is made by GlaxoSmithKline. Relenza while being effective for treating flu is considered to be less effective than Tamiflu by the World Health Organisation which gives Tamiflu the number one recommendation for treating the H5N1 virus. Relenza is a drug that needs to be inhaled thus making its application more time consuming and difficult which could make it impractical to use in the event of an all out bird flu pandemic.

Other research we have studied at Ukmedix News shows that by the simple action of washing your hands and staying away from crowds of potentially infected people could be as effective as using Tamiflu in the event of a bird influenza pandemic in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless the World Health Organisation says that stocking up with Tamiflu is the first thing you should do to protect yourself from the bird flu.