Tamiflu-resistant swine flu was found in a teenager who hadn’t taken Roche Holding AG’s best-selling antiviral medicine, Hong Kong’s health department said.

…This marks the first known case of Tamiflu resistance in a swine flu patient not treated with the drug, which has been stockpiled by governments worldwide to fight pandemic influenza. The specimen was collected from a 16-year-old girl who flew from San Francisco and was intercepted by officials at Hong Kong International Airport on June 11, according to the statement.

…

Denmark, Japan

Basel, Switzerland-based Roche said on June 29 that a swine flu patient treated with Tamiflu in Denmark showed resistance to the drug for the first time. Japan’s health ministry reported a case of resistance yesterday in a woman from Osaka who had taken a 10-day course.

Studies have shown that Tamiflu-resistant bugs develop in 0.4 percent to 4 percent of adults and children treated for seasonal influenza, Claudia Schmitt, a spokeswoman at Roche, said by phone from Basel today.

It’s likely the few reported cases of drug-resistant swine flu emerged independently, Hong Kong University’s Peiris said.

“The key point is whether the strains will become dominant and then we will have a problem,” he said. “At this moment, I don’t think there is cause for alarm. There is certainly cause for heightened surveillance.”

Source/Full Story: Bloomberg.com

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