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December 16, 2015
Acetaminophen Doesn’t Offer Much Relief for
Influenza Symptoms Wellington, New Zealand—As influenza season bears down, pharmacists might want to rethink routinely recommending acetaminophen for adults seeking relief from flu symptoms. A new randomized clinical trial from New Zealand finds that OTC acetaminophen, marketed as paracetamol in some countries, has no benefits in terms of fighting the influenza virus or in reducing patients' temperature or other symptoms. Results of the trial were published recently in the journal Respirology. For the study, which was led by the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand in Wellington, investigators monitored adults between 18 and 65 years of age with confirmed influenza infections who were treated with the maximum recommended dose of paracetamol or placebo for 5 days. Pernasal swabs were taken for influenza quantitative RT-PCR at baseline and Days 1, 2, and 5. Temperature and symptom scores were recorded for 5 to 14 days or until time of resolution, study authors write. Among all participants, the researchers identified no differences in symptom scores, temperature, time to resolution of illness and health status, with no interaction between randomized treatment and whether influenza was detected by PCR. “We initially theorized that taking paracetamol might be harmful, as the influenza virus cannot replicate as well at higher temperatures, and by reducing a person's temperature the virus may have thrived. Fortunately this was found not be the case,” said co-author Irene Braithwaite, PhD, “In this study, paracetamol was not harmful, but we also found that paracetamol was not beneficial either.” Background information in the article notes that antipyretic treatment, which is recommended in the management of influenza infection, actually increases mortality in influenza in animal models, although that was not found in this study of humans. Prevention is still the best course of action, Braithwaite said in a Wiley press release, explaining, “One of the things we need to take from this, though, is that those at risk—particularly pregnant women, the very young, the old, and those with chronic medical conditions—should have the annual influenza vaccination as it confers the best protection available against the influenza virus.” |
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