An anti-flu drug registered in Hong Kong four years ago has been shown to be effective in laboratory tests against the killer H5N1 bird flu virus that is spreading across Asia.
A scientist for an Australian government research organisation who made the discovery said yesterday that people with high exposure to bird flu, such as poultry workers, should be given the drug Relenza as prevention, while victims infected with H5N1 could also be treated with it.
The lab tests were said to be conducted independently of Relenza's Australian manufacturer, Biota, which has licensed the drug to GlaxoSmithKline.
Hong Kong's Health Department said it had noted the discovery announced on Friday in Australia.
The Hospital Authority said it was monitoring the latest clinical development and would update its guidelines on flu management for public hospitals, including protocols for drug treatment.
The authority said it had reviewed stocks of anti-flu drugs in public hospitals to ensure adequate supplies, including those of Relenza and Tamiflu, which its Swiss maker last month declared was effective in treating bird flu.