Geneva - World Health Organization Friday approved the decision that there is no clear evidence of the Tamiflu antiviral to prevent difficulties, such as pneumonia in otherwise healthy people with seasonal flu.
However, WHO continues to recommend that Tamiflu, made by Swiss drug maker Roche (ROG.VX must) be used immediately in persons infected with different H1N1 viruses, which are high risk for difficulties, or if the signs remain for three days or worsen.
The WHO also said the Pandemic flu peaked in North America, most of Western Europe except for France and Russia, perhaps, also, the WHO said in a weekly total.
In update weekly, said the swine flu outbreak on March still in Japan and in Hong Kong and Taiwan, where the ceiling was previously registered. The virus circulates throughout most of Africa.
The updated review of past results of clinical trials of Tamiflu by researchers from the Cochrane Review, published by the British Medical Journal Tuesday, found that there was enough data to know whether the substance of the difficulties imposed on influenza in otherwise healthy patients. [ID: nGEE5B71WW]
"We would not ask for Cochrane conclusions about seasonal flu," said spokesman Gregory Hartl.
Hartl told Reuters: "It is entirely consistent with our views and guidelines. For otherwise healthy people, presented with uncomplicated seasonal influenza, not need to be treated with medication."
Roche has challenged that finding and said it was behind the previous data showing the advantage.
The question is whether or not the right number of previous studies published on Tamiflu to include or exclude when analyzing the effectiveness of the substance.
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Governments worldwide storage Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, to combat swine flu. H1N1 virus progress in April and began a global flu epidemic that killed at least 9596 people, according to the latest WHO update.
"We have to make it fully clear that Cochrane was looking at the seasonal flu, it was not H1N1," Hartl said.
During the Pandemic H1N1, "a large body of evidence is built up to provide oseltamivir is effective to reduce and / or to prevent serious illness and death," he said.
He particularly in individuals at risk from H1N1 more about setting up medical conditions such as asthma or in patients who develop disease seriously, he said.
"Therefore, our recommendations have been made and continue to be those of infection with H1N1, if you are in high risk group you should start oseltamivir therapy immediately.
"If you are in high-risk group, but if you are the signals that continue more than 3 days or worsens, you should start oseltamivir therapy."
Otherwise healthy people should not be treated with Tamiflu, to recover most of the H1N1 patients without any medical treatment, the WHO spokesman that.
Pill compete with small second flu medicines from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L), known as Relenza and known generically as zanamivir, the inhaled.
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