Influenza Antiviral Medications: Summary for Clinicians

The information on this page should be considered current for the 2023-2024 influenza season for clinical practice regarding the use of influenza antiviral medications. Clinicians may also wish to consult the IDSA antiviral treatment and antiviral chemoprophylaxis recommendations, and the ATS-IDSA Adult CAP Guidelines.

Priority Groups for Antiviral Treatment of Influenza

Antiviral treatment is recommended as soon as possible for any patient with suspected or confirmed influenza who:

  • is hospitalized;
  • has severe, complicated, or progressive illness; or
  • is at higher risk for influenza complications.

Decisions about starting antiviral treatment for patients with suspected influenza should not wait for laboratory confirmation of influenza virus infection. Empiric antiviral treatment should be started as soon as possible in the above priority groups.

Clinicians can consider early empiric antiviral treatment of non-higher-risk outpatients with suspected influenza based upon clinical judgment if treatment can be initiated within 48 hours of illness onset.

Antiviral Drug Options

  • For hospitalized patients with suspected or confirmed influenza, initiation of antiviral treatment with oral or enterically administered oseltamivir is recommended as soon as possible.
  • For outpatients with complications or progressive disease and suspected or confirmed influenza (e.g., pneumonia, or exacerbation of underlying chronic medical conditions), initiation of antiviral treatment with oral oseltamivir is recommended as soon as possible.
  • For outpatients with suspected or confirmed uncomplicated influenza, oral oseltamivir, inhaled zanamivir, intravenous peramivir, or oral baloxavir may be used for treatment, depending upon approved age groups and contraindications. In one randomized controlled trial, baloxavir had greater efficacy than oseltamivir in adolescents and adults with influenza B virus infection (Ison, 2020).

Co-circulation of Influenza Viruses and SARS-CoV-2

During periods of community co-circulation of influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2, empiric antiviral treatment of influenza is recommended as soon as possible for the following priority groups: a) hospitalized patients with respiratory illness; b) outpatients with severe, complicated, or progressive respiratory illness; and c) outpatients at higher risk for influenza complications who present with any acute respiratory illness symptoms (with or without fever).

  • Influenza and COVID-19 have overlapping signs and symptoms. Testing can help distinguish between influenza virus infection and SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, clinicians should not wait for the results of influenza testing (Table 3), SARS-CoV-2 testing, or multiplex molecular assays that detect influenza A and B viruses and SARS-CoV-2 (Table 4) to initiate empiric antiviral treatment for influenza in the above priority groups.
  • Co-infection with influenza A or B viruses and SARS-CoV-2 can occur and should be considered, particularly in hospitalized patients with severe respiratory disease.
    • Clinicians should be aware that a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result does not preclude influenza virus infection. For hospitalized patients with suspected influenza who are started on empiric antiviral treatment with oseltamivir, use of influenza molecular assays (Table 3) or multiplex assays that detect both influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 (Table 4) can inform clinical management.
    • Clinicians should be aware that a positive influenza test result does not preclude SARS-CoV-2 infection. For hospitalized patients with a positive influenza test result, antiviral treatment of influenza with oseltamivir should be started as soon as possible, and clinicians should also follow guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (community acquired pneumonia treatment guidance for adults: Metlay, 2019) and other respiratory infections, including SARS-CoV-2 infection (NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines and IDSA COVID-19 treatment guidelines) if clinically indicated, while awaiting SARS-CoV-2 testing results. Oseltamivir does not have in-vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 (Choy, 2020).
  • Clinicians can utilize telemedicine in place of office visits for patients with acute respiratory illness. It may be useful for providers to implement phone triage lines to enable high-risk patients to discuss symptoms over the phone. Please see the Algorithm to Assist in Medical Office Telephone Evaluation of Patients with Possible Influenza.
  • Patients at higher risk for influenza complications should be advised to call their provider as soon as possible if they have acute respiratory illness symptoms (with or without fever) for consideration of infection with influenza A or B viruses (and early antiviral treatment), SARS-CoV-2, and other respiratory pathogens.
  • Clinicians can consider starting early (≤48 hours after illness onset) empiric antiviral treatment of non-higher-risk outpatients with suspected influenza, based upon clinical judgment, including without an office visit. SARS-CoV-2 and other etiologies of acute respiratory illness should also be considered.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines: Influenza and COVID-19 are available.
  • Clinical algorithms for the testing and treatment of influenza when SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses are circulating are also available.
Resources
Child being examined by doctor
Diagnostic Testing for Influenza

More information for clinicians on influenza diagnostic testing is available.

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Information on Influenza Activity

Clinicians should contact their local or state health department for information about current local influenza activity. CDC’s FluView report gives Information regarding national influenza activity weekly during influenza season.

References
References

A more complete list of influenza antiviral references is available.