Relenza- Pros and Cons

Relenza is has received some attention as a back-up medical solution to avian influenza. However, there are many problems with this solution, as well as some advantages. If you're considering Relenza, you should inform yourself about it.

Relenza® (Zanamivir) is a neuraminidase inhibitor used in the treatment of both influenza A and B.  It is currently marketed by GalaxoSmithKline.  Relenza is a powder, which is inhaled twice a day for five days from a breath-activated plastic device called a Diskhaler. It is not a vaccine, or a cure; it helps shorten the time you have the flu. You will also be less likely to develop complications of flu, such as bronchitis, pneumonia and sinusitis.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): "Relenza is used to treat uncomplicated illness due to influenza virus in people 7 years and older who have been symptomatic for no more than 2 days ."

PROS

1. Relenza is the #1 doctor prescribed flu medicine.

2. Relenza attacks the influenza virus and stops it from spreading inside the human body.

3. Relenza and Tamiflu are the only drugs available that are currently being used successfully to treat bird flu.

4. Since we have no vaccine, Relenza is a viable medical treatment as an alternative to Tamiflu. 

CONS

1. Like Tamiflu, Relenza is very hard to obtain. There are worldwide shortages. GalaxoSmithKline has never produced, supported or promoted the drug extensively.

2. Relenza is very expensive.

3. Relenza is of the same class of drugs as Tamiflu (neuraminidase inhibitors). Relenza is generally considered to be less effective than Tamiflu, and has only seen limited commercial success.

4. People in the U.S. often order from Canada, when supplies are available. Unfortunately, almost 80 percent of sites purporting to offer Canadian pharmacy prescription drug sites are registered in other countries than Canada, where the black market in pharmaceuticals thrives.

5. Relenza doesn't always work as a treatment.

6. Relenza is not used to prevent the flu or to decrease the risk of transmitting the virus to others.

7. By the time a pandemic strikes, the virus may be resistant to Relenza. H5N1 is already resistant to two other major flu antiviral medicines, amantadine or rimantadine.

8. You are supposed to use Relenza within 48 hours of noticing flu symptoms. Unfortunately, you usually cannot tell in the first 48 hours if the symptoms you are experiencing are the flu, a cold, or something else.  The H5N1 virus can only be reliably diagnosed in a small number of labs around the world. There is no way for home users to know whether flu-like symptoms are the result of avian flu or something else. However, if you wait long enough to be sure, it's too late to use Relenza.

9. Health officials have complained that private hoarding also hinders hospitals’ ability to get Relenza for patients who really need it if a pandemic strikes.

10. Some patients have had bronchospasm (wheezing) or serious breathing problems when they used Relenza. Many but not all of these patients had previous asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Relenza has not been shown to shorten the duration of influenza in people with these diseases. Because of the risk of side effects and because it has not been shown to help them, Relenza is not generally recommended for people with chronic respiratory disease such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

11. If you have lung disease you should have a fast-acting inhaled bronchodilator available while being treated with Relenza. If your breathing worsens, stop using Relenza and call your health care provider.

12. Stop taking Relenza and contact your health care provider if you experience signs or symptoms of an allergic reaction such as shortness of breath, swelling of eyelids, face, or lips or a skin rash.

13. Relenza side effects include:

    • headache

    • diarrhea

    • nausea

    • vomiting

    • nasal irritation

    • bronchitis

    • cough

    • sinus inflammation

    • ear, nose and throat infections

    • dizziness

BOTTOM LINE

Despite its problems, Relenza is the second safest bet we currently have for preventing or treating the H5N1 virus with traditional Western medicine. If you are not asthmatic or already have a lung disease, and you cannot get Tamiflu, it belongs in your antiviral arsenal. However, it is not a elixir that will magically make the flu disappear. It is only one of the tools you should have at your disposal.

The best prevention remains stringent hygiene procedures and being sure you have a healthy immune system.
 

Order Relenza and Tamiflu This dependable U.S. based pharmacy may still have Relenza in small quantities. Drugstore.com Message from the DEA: "Web sites offering to sell prescription controlled substances directly to consumers "without a prescription" or "without requiring a doctor visit" are operating outside the requirements of the federal Controlled Substances Act."

 

Author William Prescott is a health care researcher and author, pointing out science-based CAM (Complimentary and Alternative) healthcare solutions to contemporary medical challenges.

 

 

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