The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved a new single-dose drug, baloxavir marboxil, that can shorten the duration of the flu. It’s the first new drug of its type in 20 years.
Our Frederick G. Hayden, MD, and his colleagues found that the drug, developed by pharma company Shinogi, can shorten the duration of the flu by about a day. In addition, they found that it helped clear the flu virus from the body more quickly than both placebo and the existing drug Tamiflu, which requires multiple doses over five days to shorten symptoms by about the same duration.
Baloxavir, also known as Xofluza, is already available in Japan. It will be distributed in the United States by Roche.