US health authorities have approved the anti-influenza drug Xofluza for children from the age of five, a first for children of this age, the Swiss pharmaceutical group Roche announced on Friday August 12.
The US drug agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has given the green light to use this treatment for children aged 5 to 12 who have had symptoms for less than 48 hours – but are otherwise healthy – for an acute but uncomplicated form of the flu, the Swiss group said in a statement.
Six million Americans infected before the pandemic
The United States Medicines Agency has also given its authorization for its use as a preventive measure for children of this age who are in contact with a person affected by the flu. Xofluza is Roche’s flagship treatment for influenza. This drug is already approved for adult patients in 70 countries. It is also approved in the United States for adolescents from the age of twelve.
But this is the first time that a drug of this type, administered in tablet form, has been approved in the United States for children from the age of five, underlines the Swiss group which is also currently conducting a study for its use in younger children. During the Covid-19 pandemic, flu cases fell sharply largely due to lockdowns, social distancing measures and mask wearing.
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But before the pandemic, during the winter season for 2018-2019, the flu had affected more than 6 million people in the United States alone and had led to thousands of hospitalizations and more than 100 deaths in children aged 5 to 17. years, quantified Roche. Xofluza is considered the successor to Tamiflu, Roche’s previous generation flu treatment, which has faced competition from generic versions. Xofluza was developed by the Japanese laboratory Shionogi & Co with which Roche had sealed a partnership in 2016 in order to continue its development and market it in the rest of the world. Roche owns the rights to sell this treatment outside of Japan and Taiwan.
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