Oseltamivir
Tamiflu is the single oseltamivir product on this shelf: a 75 mg capsule for treating influenza A and influenza B infections in people aged two weeks and older.
Key points
- Oseltamivir is an antiviral that blocks the flu virus from spreading to new cells in the body.
- It works only when started within 48 hours of the first flu symptoms.
- Children and teenagers with the flu may become confused, agitated, or hallucinate, whether or not they take oseltamivir.
How does Oseltamivir work?
Oseltamivir blocks a protein on the surface of the flu virus called neuraminidase. Without it, new virus particles cannot break free from the infected cell, so the infection stops spreading to healthy cells. In practice, this may shorten flu symptoms by about one day.