Effect of double dose oseltamivir on clinical and virological outcomes in children and adults admitted to hospital with severe influenza: double blind randomised controlled trial

Objective To investigate the validity of recommendations in treatment guidelines to use higher than approved doses of oseltamivir in patients with severe influenza.Design Double blind randomised trial.Setting Thirteen hospitals in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.Participants Patients aged ≥1 year admitted to hospital with confirmed severe influenza.Interventions Oral oseltamivir at double dose (150 mg twice a day/paediatric equivalent) versus standard dose (75 mg twice a day/paediatric equivalent).Main outcome measure Viral status according to reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for influenza RNA in nasal and throat swabs on day five.Results Of 326 patients (including 246 (75.5%) children aged