Single-dose Flu Drug May Reduce Spread Within Homes, Study Finds

New research concludes that a single dose of the flu medicine baloxavir marboxil may reduce the spread of the disease in homes.

A study examining 752 home contacts of 545 flu patients found that flu infections were much less common in household members who received the medication than among those who received a placebo. Only 1.9% of uninfected household contacts who took a single dose of baloxavir marboxil contracted the flu, compared to 13.6% of those who received the placebo.

“This trial established that baloxavir, if taken within one day after exposure, is highly effective in preventing flu illness in homes, a high-risk environment for virus transmission,” said researcher Frederick G. Hayden, MD, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “The results indicate that baloxavir prophylaxis should be effective for prevention in other circumstances, such as outbreaks in nursing homes and health centers, although formal studies will be necessary.”

Reduced spread of the flu.

The double-blind study found that baloxavir marboxil, sold under the brand name Xofluza, was effective in adults, children, and high-risk individuals, regardless of whether they had received the flu vaccine. The frequency of adverse events, such as headaches and nausea, was similar between those who received the medication (22.2%) and those who received placebos (20.5%). There were no deaths in any of the groups.

Hayden, a professor emeritus at the UVA Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, was also part of a research team that published a month ago in Infectious diseases of the lancet that baloxavir treatment shortened the duration of the flu and reduced complications in adults and adolescents at high risk of complications. The researchers concluded that a single dose of the drug was as effective as a five-day course of oseltamivir (Tamiflu).

The Federal Food and Drug Administration approved baloxavir marboxil to treat the flu within 2 days of the onset of symptoms in people 12 years and older and those at high risk for developing complications. Its approval in 2018 marked the first novel flu medicine in 20 years. The FDA is reviewing the applications of baloxavir for both treatment in children 1-11 years old and prophylaxis.