US approves first new type of flu drug in two decades

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — U.S. health regulators have approved the first new type of flu drug in two decades.

Wednesday’s approval of Xofluza for people age 12 and older comes ahead of the brunt of this winter’s flu season.

Xofluza is a pill that can reduce the severity and shorten the duration of flu symptoms after one just dose.

It was developed by the Roche Group and Shionogi & Co.

It works about as well as Tamiflu, Roche’s older flu treatment, which is also available in cheaper generic versions. Tamiflu is taken twice daily for five days.

Health officials have said an estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last winter, the disease’s highest death toll in at least four decades.

The severe flu season increased demand for Tamiflu and led to spot shortages.

Roche’s Genentech unit plans to launch Xofluza within a few weeks. It will cost $150 without insurance.

The need for only one dose is an advantage since patients don’t always take all their medicine, said Dr Mark Eisner, Genentech’s head of development of infectious disease medicines.

Each year, flu typically kills about 12,000 to 56,000 Americans and up to 650,000 people worldwide.

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