Swine flu drug risks outweigh benefits in children

Most children with swine flu should not be given Tamiflu and the needs to rethink its policy of mass prescribing antivirals, researchers said today. Scientists told the Department of Health that giving out anti-virals in high numbers to children, carried more risks than benefits. Work in the British Medical Journal shows Tamiflu and Relenza rarely prevent complications in children with seasonal flu yet carry side effects. The one-day reduction in symptoms, they said was outweighed by risks of vomiting, and advised that only children with existing health problems should be given the drugs

Based on seven seasonal flu studies involving children between the ages of 1 and 12, the study showed that Tamiflu caused vomiting in about 5 per cent of children, which can lead to dehydration and complications. Because the study looked at seasonal flu, it is hard to generalise this to the current swine flu pandemic, but researchers said these drugs are unlikely to help children who catch the H1N1 virus. The current strategy of giving Tamiflu for mild illness was an “inappropriate,” said Carl Henegan, a GP and expert from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. “The downside of the harms outweigh the one-day reduction in symptomatic benefits,” he told The Times newspaper.

The study comes little over a week after other research found that children given Tamiflu preventatively reported side effects including nausea and nightmares. But the Department of Health was today sticking to its guns. It said a "safety-first approach" of offering antivirals to everyone remains a sensible and responsible way forward, but promised to keep the policy under review. A Department of Health spokesman told the BBC: "While there is doubt about how swine flu affects children, we believe a safety-first approach of offering antivirals to everyone remains a sensible and responsible way forward. "However, we will keep this policy under review as we learn more about the virus and its effects. "The BMJ research is correct to say that many people with swine flu only get mild symptoms, and they may find bed rest and over-the-counter flu remedies work for them. "But for those who experience severe symptoms, the best scientific advice tells us that Tamiflu should still be taken as soon as possible - and to suggest otherwise is potentially dangerous. If people are in any doubt about whether to take Tamiflu, they should contact their GP."

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children