Animal studies say that taking the drug that beats fungal infection can make flu worse. Even though the result of the drug is uncertain in humans, doctors have suggested that the state of it be assessed at the earliest.
Amphotericin B is a drug that is recommended to those who need a bone marrow transplant or chemotherapy. The study found out that the drug interfered with the way a person’s body defended against flu. Researches that were done in the past showed that protein IFITM3 makes it quite hard for a flu virus to infect a person’s body. Mice that cannot produce the protein become more vulnerable to infection and show severe symptoms.
With the new study, it has come out that the antifungal drug destroys the protein and makes the mice highly susceptible to flu. While the study does not confirm that the interaction would become clinically relevant for patients, it does point out to the fact that patients undergoing treatment for cancer or any other disease that suppresses the immune system need to be careful.
The director of the centre for respiratory infections at Imperial College London, Prof Peter Openshaw, pointed out that the powerful medicine is prescribed to patients for a certain reasons and they must stick to it. He also added that though the study is appalling, they would like to be given clinical information to claim whether it is relevant for the patients or not.
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