Four Seasons Pharmacist Says: Oseltamivir and Mabaloxavir, how to choose when you have influenza?

Gansu Jiugang Hospital was established in 1958. In 1966, Ping'an Hospital affiliated to Beijing Medical College moved in as a whole. It is now a national Class III Class A hospital, a national demonstration hospital for the people, a national baby-friendly hospital, and a network hospital of the Ministry of Health's International Emergency Rescue Center. It has occupational health examination qualifications and the ability to diagnose occupational diseases and conduct occupational health examinations. It is a large comprehensive hospital with the largest total assets, first-class equipment, strong technical force, and integrates medical treatment, first aid, teaching, scientific research, prevention, rehabilitation and health management in the region.
According to the latest data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the influenza virus positive rate continues to rise, of which more than 99% are influenza A. As influenza enters its peak season, the demand for influenza treatment drugs remains high.

Currently, the main anti-influenza drugs are oseltamivir and mabaloxavir. As the flu season spreads, they have become popular online anti-influenza virus drugs. However, these two drugs have their own characteristics in the human body. For patients with influenza, how should they choose?

Mabaloxavir mainly acts on the early stage of the virus replication cycle, inhibiting influenza virus mRNA synthesis, blocking virus replication in the human body, and attacking the influenza virus at the root. It takes effect relatively quickly and can relieve influenza symptoms more quickly, allowing patients to get rid of fever, fatigue, muscle aches and other discomforts as soon as possible. The mechanism of action of oseltamivir is to prevent the release of influenza viruses from infected cells, thereby reducing the spread of the virus in the body, so its best time to take the drug is generally within 24 to 48 hours after the onset of influenza symptoms. Once this golden time is missed, the efficacy of the drug may be greatly reduced!

As the backbone of anti-influenza drugs, oseltamivir is applicable to a wide range of people. It can be used to treat influenza A and B in adults and children aged 1 year and over, and can also be used to prevent influenza A and B in adults and adolescents aged 13 years and over, covering most groups that may be infected with influenza. Due to the accumulation of a large amount of clinical application data during use, doctors and pharmacists are more familiar with its efficacy and possible adverse reactions, and are relatively more confident about its safety. Some patients are prone to gastrointestinal discomfort after taking it, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, etc., which are more common, and are more obvious in weak patients.

For Mabaloxavir, most patients have relatively few and mild adverse reactions after taking it. However, as a new anti-influenza virus drug, it is applicable to people over 5 years old. For special populations, such as pregnant women, breastfeeding women and children, the safety and adverse reactions need further clinical observation and collection.

The most striking feature of Mabaloxavir is its convenience in taking. Usually, it only needs to be taken once (i.e., all at once) to achieve a good antiviral effect. Oseltamivir, on the other hand, needs to be taken twice a day for 5 days, and it takes 24 to 48 hours for it to take effect. Mabaloxavir is a great "good news" for those office workers with a fast pace of life, busy students, and elderly patients who easily forget to take multiple medications according to the course of treatment. It has good compliance, and only a single dose is required for the entire course of the disease.

Oseltamivir has been on the market for a long time and is a national centralized procurement drug. It is relatively affordable and applicable to a wide range of people. However, the price of Mabaloxavir is relatively high, with a single tablet costing more than 100 yuan. This may make some patients hesitate when choosing drugs.

Oseltamivir and mabaloxavir each have their own advantages and disadvantages. When choosing to use them, we should consider our own situation and follow the professional advice of the doctor in order to better fight the influenza virus and restore health.