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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, July 1999, p. 1616-1620, Vol. 43, No. 7
0066-4804/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Safety and Efficacy of Intravenous Zanamivir in Preventing Experimental Human Influenza A Virus Infection

David P. Calfee,1 Amy W. Peng,2 Lindsey M. Cass,2 Monica Lobo,1 and Frederick G. Hayden1,3,*

Departments of Internal Medicine1 and Pathology,3 University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, Virginia, and Glaxo Wellcome, Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina2

Received 23 December 1998/Returned for modification 24 February 1999/Accepted 26 April 1999

Zanamivir is a potent inhibitor of influenza A and B virus neuraminidases and is active topically in experimental and natural human influenza. We conducted this double-blinded, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenously administered zanamivir. Susceptible volunteers were randomized to receive either saline or zanamivir (600 mg) intravenously twice daily for 5 days beginning 4 h prior to intranasal inoculation with ~105 50% tissue culture infectious doses (TCID50) of influenza A/Texas/36/91 (H1N1) virus. Reductions in the frequency of viral shedding (0% versus 100% in placebo, P < 0.005) and seroconversion (14% versus 100% in placebo, P < 0.005) and decreases in viral titer areas under the curve (0 versus 11.6 [median] log10 TCID50 · day/ml in placebo, P < 0.005) were observed in the zanamivir group, as were reductions in fever (14% versus 88% in placebo, P < 0.05), upper respiratory tract illness (0% versus 100% in placebo, P < 0.005), total symptom scores (1 versus 44 [median] in placebo, P < 0.005), and nasal-discharge weight (3.9 g versus 17.5 g [median] in placebo, P < 0.005). Zanamivir was detectable in nasal lavage samples collected on days 2 and 4 (unadjusted median concentrations, 10.5 and 12.0 ng/ml of nasal wash, respectively). This study demonstrates that intravenously administered zanamivir is distributed to the respiratory mucosa and is protective against infection and illness following experimental human influenza A virus inoculation.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Box 473, Charlottesville, VA 22908. Phone: (804) 924-5059. Fax: (804) 924-9065. E-mail: fgh{at}avery.med.virginia.edu.


Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, July 1999, p. 1616-1620, Vol. 43, No. 7
0066-4804/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



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