April 10, 2014

new study on effectiveness of Tamiflu and Relenza

The Cochrane Library and in The BMJ are publishing the latest updated Cochrane Review: Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults and children. The study is based on full internal reports of 20 Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and 26 Relenza (zanamivir) trials. These trials involved more than 24,000 people and the authors will suggest that the findings raise further questions about the most effective way to support drug regulation and public health policy decision-making.

The authors came to the SMC to outline their findings.

Speakers:

Dr Carl Heneghan, author of the review, Professor of Evidence-Based Medicine, University of Oxford,  Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Review Group.

Dr Tom Jefferson, author of the review, former GP and epidemiologist, Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Review Group.

Dr Fiona Godlee, Editor-in-Chief, British Medical Journal