SHOOT: Intwisting. The pandemic is barely a few months old and our magic bullet is already proving ineffective. You can't outgun a pandemic virus. It is evolving faster than anything we throw at it. There is diddly squat we can do about it. So relax and enjoy the ride.
ATLANTA – For the first time, a case of swine flu has proven resistant to Tamiflu — the leading pharmaceutical weapon against the new virus, international health officials said Monday.
The resistance was seen in a patient in Denmark, who has recovered.
"The goods news is they just found one," said Dr. Carolyn Bridges of the U.S. Centers for Disease control and Prevention.
Tamiflu resistance has not been seen in nearly 200 swine flu samples tested in the United States, Bridges said. But the resistance has been seen in other types of flu. Late last year, CDC officials reported that the most common flu bug circulating at the time was overwhelmingly resistant to Tamiflu. Health officials have believed it was probably a matter of time before a swine flu sample tested resistant, too.
"It is possible to see occasional reports of resistance while a drug remains largely effective," said Terry Hurley, a Roche spokesman.
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