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Relenza: Taking Relenza
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Relenza (generic name zanamivir) is a prescription drug used to treat the flu virus in adults and children 7 years and older. Studies show Relenza can help you feel better about one day sooner than if you didn’t take this drug. Early information suggests taking Relenza daily for 28 days can prevent one in five people from catching the flu. But a yearly flu shot is still the best way to keep from getting the flu—it's 70 to 90 percent effective.
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Relenza is delivered directly to the lungs by oral inhalation from a Diskhaler device. To benefit from the drug, you must begin taking it within 48 hours of feeling the first symptoms of flu, and must finish the entire 5-day course of treatment.
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Relenza can prevent the flu as long as you continue taking this medication, but getting a yearly flu shot is still the best way of avoiding the disease entirely. For older adults, those in high-risk situations such as health-care work, and people with an immune deficiency or respiratory disease, vaccination remains a must.
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In January 2000 the FDA took the unusual step of issuing a warning regarding the use of Relenza, stating that it had received "several reports of deterioration of respiratory function following inhalation of Relenza in patients with underlying asthma." In July 2000, GlaxoSmithKline issued its own warning regarding the danger of prescribing Relenza to patients with asthma or other preexisting respiratory problems. The company ... admitted that the drug can cause respiratory harm even in patients without preexisting asthma or other breathing problems. Additionally, Glaxo stated that "some adverse events have required immediate treatment or hospitalization, and some patients . . . have had fatal outcomes" but it is "difficult to determine" if Relenza is to blame. While the drug is still available, some wonder whether the risks associated with taking Relenza (breathing problems and possible death) outweigh the benefits.
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Taking Relenza should not affect your decision to have an annual influenza vaccination. If you use a bronchodilator and are scheduled to use it at the same time as Relenza, use your bronchodilator first before using Relenza.
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Before taking Relenza™, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or to milk proteins (not lactose intolerance); or if you have any other allergies. Tell your doctor your medical history, including: lung or breathing problems (e.g., asthma, COPD), kidney problems. Limit alcohol intake, as it may intensify certain side effects of this medication (e.g., dizziness). Use caution when performing tasks requiring alertness (e.g., driving). This medication is not generally recommended for treatment of flu if you have lung problems (e.g., asthma, emphysema/COPD). This medication can cause breathing problems (e.g., bronchospasm), which in rare cases can be fatal.
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Taking Relenza