Swine Flu Patient Develops Tamiflu-Resistant Strain

In the first confirmed case of drug-resistant swine flu worldwide, a Danish patient developed resistance to Tamiflu, the antiviral treatment used for flu prevention and treatment. The patient recovered and did not appear to have passed the resistant strain to others. While a drug-resistant virus could make it harder to treat and prevent the spread of the flu, experts maintain that the isolated case is not a cause for alarm, and say Tamiflu is still effective against the swine flu. A spokesman for Tamiflu manufacturer Roche says the Danish patient developed drug-resistant swine flu while taking the drug as a preventative to avoid the contraction of swine flu.... He was probably already infected with the virus, and resistance to the drug emerged because he was given the lower preventative dose