Fewer than half of people at higher risk for serious flu complications started the antiviral oseltamivir, sold as Tamiflu, after a confirmed flu diagnosis during the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 seasons. In a CDC-led study, only 172 of 406 higher-risk patients, or 42%, began treatment.
The gap continued after the first dose. Among higher-risk patients who started and could be tracked, only 69 of 163, also 42%, finished the recommended course of at least 10 doses. The study was published Sept. 21 in Open Forum Infectious Diseases and highlighted this week by CIDRAP.
