Adding nitazoxanide to standard of care for the treatment of children and adults with severe acute respiratory infections was safe, but it did not reduce hospital stay, complications like pneumonia, or the shedding of influenza or other respiratory viruses, according to findings from a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Although severe acute respiratory illnesses (SARIs) are in the top three causes of death and disability among children and adults worldwide, influenza is the only SARI-causing virus to have an effective treatment, noted M. Lourdes Guerrero, MD, MS, from the department of infectious diseases at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán in Mexico City, and colleagues.