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FDA-approved neuraminidase inhibitors are available only in oral or Diskhaler-delivered preparations, which are not optimal for use in critically ill patients. Another alternative is now available: The FDA, in response to a CDC request, has granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for peramivir, an investigational intravenous neuraminidase inhibitor.
Peramivir is for use in hospitalized adult and pediatric patients with presumed or confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza who are not responding to oral or inhaled antiviral therapy, or for whom drug delivery by nonintravenous routes is not feasible or is not expected to be dependable. The drug is currently in phase III trials; no pharmacokinetic, safety, or efficacy data are available for children a…