Harvard Medical School
Question. I heard that there is a new medication that you can take for the flu. Is this a vaccine?
Answer. In October 2018, for the first time in 20 years, the FDA approved a new medication to treat the flu. Baloxavir marboxil, sold as Xofluza, is not a vaccine, but rather an antiviral drug that can help your body fight off influenza more quickly.
Antivirals work by stopping viruses from reproducing, lessening both the severity of your symptoms and their duration.
Xofluza joins two antiviral drugs commonly prescribed for flu, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir inhaler (Relenza). (A third flu drug — peramivir, trade name Rapivab — is administered as an intravenous infusion.)
Like Tamiflu, Xofluza is taken orally, and it should be started within two days of when your first flu symptoms appear.
Unlike the other antiviral drugs, however, it requires just one dose, not multiple doses taken for several days.
Another key difference is that Xofluza is approved to be used only in people ages 12 and older. Also, because it is new, it is likely to be more expensive than the established flu drugs.
If you suspect you have the flu, pay a visit to your doctor as soon as possible so he or she can determine if you might be a candidate for an antiviral medication.
Sometimes the flu can produce similar symptoms to those of the common cold, but unlike a cold, flu symptoms usually begin abruptly and are more likely to include fever, chills, very achy muscles and headache, symptoms that are less common with a cold.
Different antiviral medications produce different side effects. Common ones include diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. People in trials of Xofluza reported diarrhea.
Bronchitis also seemed to be more likely in those taking Xofluza. Some also reported getting the common cold, a headache, or nausea.
It’s important to note that antiviral medications like Xofluza are not a substitute for the flu vaccine.
Vaccination and keeping your hands clean are still recommended as the best ways to prevent the flu.
