Vol.61 No.6 November 2013

Review of Laninamivir Octanoate for the postexposure prophylaxis against influenza

Seizaburo Kashiwagi

Hakata Ekimae Kashiwagi Clinic, 3-21-15 Hakataekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan

Abstract

Elderly persons, patients with chronic respiratory diseases or chronic heart diseases, and patients with immunodeficiency are at a high risk of development of complications assosiated with influenza: when these persons contract influenza, their underlying diseases may get worse or complications such as pneumonia may occur, which may lead to death in some cases. Therefore, in these high-risk persons, prevention, as well as early diagnosis after symptom onset and prompt treatment of influenza, are essential. The primary method for the prevention of influenza is influenza vaccination, which exerts a preventive effect during the influenza seasons. However, when an epidemic strain does not match the vaccine strain or during the period immediately after the onset of a pandemic, influenza vaccination would be either unavailable or expected to have low effectiveness. Under these circumstances, when one family member develops influenza and other family members are at a high risk of development of complications, antiviral chemoprophylaxis must be initiated for the high-risk persons within the household.
Laninamivir Octanoate (Inavir^®) is a long-acting neuraminidase inhibitor that was developed by Daiichi Sankyo (Tokyo, Japan). Laninamivir Octanoate was approved in 2010 for the treatment of influenza, and is widely used in Japan. The efficacy for the prevention of influenza has been demonstrated in a recent clinical study. In this review, we introduce the results of clinical studies on Laninamivir Octanoate for the prevention of influenza and discuss the benefits of this drug as a prophylactic drug, and also the differences in the drug dosages for the treatment and prevention of influenza.

Key word

laninamivir, influenza, prophylaxis, neuraminidase inhibitor

Received

July 29, 2013

Accepted

September 10, 2013

Jpn. J. Chemother. 61 (6): 492-503, 2013