Cost Of New Flu Drug Greater Than Potential Savings

February 06, 2001

OTTAWA - Full coverage for a new anti-flu treatment would cost more than the savings it would provide to Canada's health-care system, according to a report released today.

Providing zanamavir (Relenza™) to all Canadians is not a cost-effective strategy for publicly-funded drug plans, concludes the report by the Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment (www.ccohta.ca).

"For a government health plan, the cost of providing zanamavir to the general population would outweigh the benefits of the drug," says health economist Bruce Brady, one of the report's authors.

"For the drug to be cost-effective, it would have to substantially reduce the number of hospitalizations for the flu - and the evidence zanamavir can do this is inconclusive at this time," Brady says. Ongoing studies may eventually show the drug's benefit in treating groups at risk of developing serious complications from the flu, he adds.

In November 1999, Health Canada approved zanamavir for use in treating patients with flu who are age 12 or older and have been symptomatic for no more than 2 days. The cost for a full 5-day course of the drug is about $45.

The report doesn't say zanamavir doesn't work - in fact, there may be modest reductions in the length of illness for some patients, as well as a reduction in antibiotic use. However, providing it to the general population would not be cost-effective, because:

• Zanamavir is not effective in treating illnesses similar to the flu - Most patients with flu-like symptoms do not actually have the flu. Since testing for influenza is not generally done in a doctor's office, routine prescribing of zanamavir would result in a number of patients taking the drug, without any benefit;
• There is no data that support beginning therapy after the first 48 hours - As a result, anyone who visited a doctor's office after the first two days of symptoms may not benefit from taking the drug;
• More visits to doctor's offices likely - More people with a low risk of flu-related complications - who would not otherwise seek treatment - might visit their doctors, causing a further cost increase to government health plans.

For further information contact Director, Communications, Kirk Fergusson: 613 226-2553 ext 276