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To: GST who wrote (36190)	7/16/2005 9:41:05 PM
From: Elroy Jetson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110194

The value of an anti-viral like Tamiflu depends on: a.) whether the flu virus variant you could be exposed to is resistant to Tamiflu; b.) whether the Tamiflu resistant flu virus is as fit and as disease causing as wild-type virus; c.) whether the virus can be susceptible to a combination of anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu with Amantadine. I prefer the German drug Akatinol Memantine to Amantadine. Memantine, made by Merz Pharma Gruppe, is sold as Axura outside of Germany. Memantine is the metabolized form of Amantadine with fewer potential side-effects. Its not approved in the USA, only Europe where its sold to treat Parkinson's disease. I'm certain you can find a much lower price than this. getpharma.com .

To: GST who wrote (36190)	7/16/2005 10:17:13 PM
From: Elroy Jetson	Respond to of 110194

It seems I haven't kept up. It seems that Memantine is now FDA approved and sold in the USA as Namenda as a treatment for Alzheimers. .

To: GST who wrote (36190)	7/17/2005 3:04:28 PM
From: Henry Niman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110194

There are two major targets for FDA antivirals. One is neuramindase (NA) which is targeted by Tamiflu and Relenza. The second is the M2 gene targeted by Amantadine and Rimantadine. There is at least one instance of Tamiflu resistance being reported in Vietnam. Since very few people have been treated with tamiflu, it is not a good sign that resistance is developing so quickly. Resistance to Amantadine and Rimantadine is universal among Vietnam and Thailand isolates (in fact they all have two resistance markers). Some other isolates (from China and Indonesia) have one marker. The latest suggests that there have many H5N1 variants circulating in China. Most are probably sensitive to both drugs, but as the viruses become more widespread in humans, more will be treated giving rise to more resistance.