(Updates with details, background)
LA JOLLA, Calif. (AFP)--A strain of swine flu that is resistant
to treatment with the drug Tamiflu has been discovered near the
U.S.-Mexico border, the Pan-American Health Organization said on
Monday.
"We have found resistance to Tamiflu on the border. We have
observed some cases, few to be sure, in El Paso and close to
McAllen, Texas," said Maria Teresa Cerqueira, head of the local
PAHO office.
Cases of A(H1N1) that were resistant to the anti-viral medicine
have now been found in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Hong
Kong and Japan.
Experts gathered in La Jolla, Calif., on Monday to discuss the
response to the outbreak, said the resistance was likely due to
over-use.
"In the United States Tamiflu is sold with a prescription, but
in Mexico and Canada it is sold freely and taken at the first
sneeze. Then, when it is really needed, it doesn't work," said
Cerqueira.
Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX), the manufacturer of Tamiflu, has said
it expects a 0.5% rate of case resistance based on clinical
trials.