Around 6 patients at UNC Hospitals will be asked to test a new flu drug that has revealed positive results in treating severe cases but is currently still under investigation.
Although the clinical trial is about to begin, the anti-viral drug, Peramivir, was given an emergency O.K. towards the end of October by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for hospitalized patients who are unable to take approved flu drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza.
Even if they don’t won’t to take part in the clinical trial, patients at UNC Hospitals will be able to get the new drug if they need it. Dr. Christopher Hurt, an infectious disease doctor and the site’s principal investigator, says that there will only be around six patients enrolled in the trial.
The drug, Peramivir, which was created by BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, is nearing government approval in Japan and has been through two sets of clinical trials in the United States.
Robert Bennett, executive director of business development and investor relations for BioCryst, says Peramivir works on the same principal as Tamiflu and Relenza by blocking an enzyme in flu viruses allowing it to multiply and spread. Because it is delivered in an intravenous drip, it is only being developed for hospital settings. Tamiflu comes as a pill and Relenza comes in the form of a nasal spray and both are available to patients through pharmacies as prescription drugs.
Dr. Christopher Hurt claims that the main advantage of Peramivir is when there are serious situations when the patient is too sick to swallow pills or is on a respirator and can’t inhale a drug. Also, he said, an intravenous method usually enters the bloodstream faster.
0 Responses to “UNC will soon test new flu drug”