Resistance to Influenza A H1N1 virus treatment has not caused the health board to change its preventative treatment policy

The National Board of Health confirmed yesterday that a patient developed resistance to the Tamiflu treatment for Influenza A H1N1 virus. It is the first confirmed case of a mutation of the virus in the world.

The Dane caught the virus from someone who had already been infected and was given Tamiflu as a preventative measure. The patient went on to develop flu symptoms despite treatment and was given alternative flu drug Relenza instead, after which their symptoms disappeared.
The single case of the mutated strain of the virus has not caused the health board to change its recommendation of using Tamiflu as a preventative treatment and the drug’s manufacturer, Roche Holding AG, said yesterday that it was not uncommon for new strains to develop.

Denmark currently has one million doses of Tamiflu stockpiled and a further 40,000 doses of Relenza were purchased in April to strengthen the country’s preparedness against the virus, which one eminent professor recently said could affect up to 1.5 million people nationally this autumn.

Fifty patients nationwide have been infected so far, with 31 of them catching the flu virus abroad.