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OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of oseltamivir (75mg twice daily) on time to return to baseline health, sleep and activity in patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 1642 otherwise healthy adults (aged 13–64 years), who had experienced a febrile influenza-like illness (>38°C) of up to 36 hours’ duration together with at least one respiratory and one systemic/constitutional symptom, were pooled from four randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Patients in these trials had been randomised to receive either oseltamivir or placebo for 5 days and had been allowed unlimited use of symptom-relief medications. The primary analysis examined the effect of oseltamivir treatment on patients’ general health status, sleep and normal activities as measured by visual analogue scales. Secondary analyses examined the possible effects of gender, influenza type, smoking, employment status and time to treatment (≠ or >24 hours) on these endpoints. RESULTS: Oseltamivir significantly reduced the time taken to return to baseline health, sleep and activity across all pooled patients (p < 0.0001) and increased the proportion of patients returning to full activity within the first 7 days following treatment start. Gender, smoking status, time to treatment, influenza subtype and employment status had no appreciable effect on the effectiveness of oseltamivir. CONCLUSIONS: In otherwise healthy adults, oseltamivir reduces the time to return to pre-illness levels of health, sleep and activity, and may help to decrease the overall burden of influenza on society. This provides an important rationale for the early use of antiviral treatment, such as oseltamivir, for the treatment of influenza in otherwise healthy adults and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of ezetimibe administered with simvastatin in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia.: BackgroundDespite the availability of statins, many patients do not achieve lipid targets. Combination therapy with lipid-lowering agents that act via a complementary pathway may allow additional patients to achieve recommended cholesterol goals.: MethodsAfter dietary stabilization, a 2- to 12-week washout period, and a 4-week, single-blind, placebo lead-in period, patients with baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ≥145 mg/dl to ≤250 mg/dl and triglycerides (TG) ≤350 mg/dl were randomized to one of the following 10 groups administered daily for 12 consecutive weeks: ezetimibe 10 mg; simvastatin 10, 20, 40, or 80 mg; ezetimibe 10 mg plus simvastatin 10, 20, 40, or 80 mg; or placebo. The primary efficacy variable was percentage reduction from baseline to end point in direct LDL-C for the pooled ezetimibe plus simvastatin groups versus pooled simvastatin groups.: ResultsEzetimibe plus simvastatin significantly improved LDL-C (p < 0.01), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p = 0.03), and TG (p < 0.01) compared with simvastatin alone. Ezetimibe plus simvastatin (pooled doses) provided an incremental 13.8% LDL-C reduction, 2.4% HDL-C increase, and 7.5% TG reduction compared with pooled simvastatin alone. Coadministration of ezetimibe and simvastatin provided LDL-C reductions of 44% to 57%, TG reductions of 20% to 28%, and HDL-C increases of 8% to 11%, depending on the simvastatin dose. Ezetimibe 10 mg plus simvastatin 10 mg and simvastatin 80 mg alone each provided a 44% LDL-C reduction. The coadministration of ezetimibe with simvastatin was well tolerated, with a safety profile similar to those of simvastatin and of placebo.: ConclusionsWhen coadministered with simvastatin, ezetimibe provided significant incremental reductions in LDL-C and TG, as well as increases in HDL-C. Coadministration of ezetimibe with simvastatin was well tolerated and comparable to statin alone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]