Anti-flu drugs do not save lives and may not limit the spread of the disease, according to the findings of a controversial analysis today.
The drug Tamiflu shortened the length of illness by half a day on average, according to the analysis of 46 trials of the treatment.
The researchers say they have reached their conclusions after a long battle to obtain unpublished details of trials of the drugs, which were prescribed to thousands during the swine flu epidemic five years ago.
And they say governments should reconsider policies that stockpile millions of pounds worth of the drugs against flu epidemics.
Five years ago the US authorities spent some 1.3 billion dollars buying up supplies of drugs while in Britain the government spent more than £400 million.
The latest conclusions from the respected Cochrane collaboration fly in the face of a major study last month when researchers concluded that the flu drugs cut the risk of patients dying by 25%.
The latest findings are published by the British Medical Journal while last month’s findings were published by Lancet Respiratory Medicine and involved an analysis of details of some 78,000 patients.
The Cochrane researchers say they have been able to obtain unpublished details of trials of the drugs.
The trials they have studied involved more than 24,000 people.
The researchers say Tamiflu has significant side-effects including some kidney and psychiatric problems. The other major anti-flu drug Relenza had few side-effects, they report, although they say it had the same level of limited benefits as Tamiflu.
The Cochrane editor-in-chief Dr David Towey said: “We now have the most robust, comprehensive review on neuraminidase inhibitors that exists.
"Initially thought to reduce hospitalisations and serious complications from influenza, the review highlights that Tamiflu is not proven to do this, and it also seems to lead to harmful effects that were not fully reported in the original publications."
BMJ editor-in-chief Dr Fiona Godlee said: “This review is the result of many years of struggles to access and use trial data, which was previously unpublished and even hidden from view.
"It highlights with certainty that future decisions to purchase and use drugs, particularly when on a mass scale, must be based on a complete picture of the evidence, both published and unpublished."
The researchers who performed today’s analysis Dr Tom Jefferson, Dr Carl Heneghan, Dr Peter Doshi state: "It is the first example of open science in medicine using full clinical study reports available without conditions. And therefore the conclusions are that much richer.
"We urge people not to trust in published trials alone or on comment from conflicted health decision makers, but to view the information for themselves.”
Tamiflu manufacturer Roche today said it "fundamentally disagreed" with the overall conclusions of the research.
Cochrane Systematic Review: Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults and children. The Cochrane Library 10 April 2014 [abstract]
BMJ 10 April 2014;348:g2545;doi:10.1136/bmj.g2545
Effectiveness of neuraminidase inhibitors in reducing mortality in patients admitted to hospital with influenza A H1N1pdm09 virus infection: a meta-analysis of individual participant data. Lancet Respir Med 19 March 2014
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