Bird flu strain remedy found

Roche AG's Tamiflu anti-influenza drug has been proven to work against H5N1, the strain of the avian flu virus that the World Health Organization says could be the source of a deadly flu pandemic.

In a study released late on Sunday, researchers from the Queen Mary Hospital in London said that oseltamivir, marketed by Roche as Tamiflu, is effective against avian and human forms of the virus, which has so far killed 32 people this year.

"Since the &to=http://english.pravda.ru/main/2003/02/20/43563.html' target=_blank>influenza virus is constantly mutating, today's is the first data to show oseltamivir to be effective against this highly pathogenic strain, which is currently circulating in Vietnam and Thailand," the researchers said in a study, informs Reuters.