Australia produces highly effective new anti-influenza drugs

Australia's leading science institute CSIRO said on February 23 that it has developed a new drug in the laboratory system, to prevent the spread of different influenza viruses, including resistant strains.

This success is the result of the research and enthusiasm of international scientists from the Institute of CSIRO, British Columbia University and Bath University.

Dr. Jenny McKimm-Breschkin, a CSIRO scientist, developed the first anti-influenza drug called Relenza.

Dr. Jenny McKimm-Breschkin at the lab.

She said that by understanding the exact mechanism of the resistance of the influenza virus, pharmaceutical manufacturers will find specific drugs that are highly effective in preventing and treating diseases.

New flu drugs are very effective against current resistant strains of the virus and promise to be a cure for future resistant strains.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, bird flu has claimed the lives of about 500,000 people each year, of which up to 2,500 deaths occur in Australia.

In the context of millions of poultry currently infected with the flu globally, health officials fear the risk of this outbreak and spread to people causing new outbreaks.

Although the new drug is expected to be highly effective against future influenza viruses, scientists said it would take at least seven years before the drug was publicly available on the market, quite a long time.