M. Saita et al. / Health 3 (2011) 300-303
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. Openly accessible at http://www.scirp.org/journal/HEALTH/
303303
greater efficacy than oseltamivir or zanamivir in im-
proving joint pain . This finding is corroborated by Ku bo
and Nishimura who found that treatment with maoto or
maoto-oseltamivir combination was more effective than
oseltamivir alone in shortening the duration of fever [12].
If we take into account the fact that maoto has been his-
torically used to treat cold symptoms based on (symptom)
pattern diagnosis in Kampo medicine, it is not surprising
to discover its efficacy to be on par with antivirals which
are specifically designed to suppress viral replication.
Hence, our results are clinically significant, given the
scarcity of data on maoto’s efficacy in influenze from
prospective randomized trials.
Oseltamivir showed strong but statistically insignifi-
cant antipyretic effect. Figure 1 depicts the antipyretic
effect of both oseltamivir administered groups (II and
IV).
Zanamivir-treated group showed a rapid improvement
in cough than the other three group s. Though statistically
unremarkable, our results un dergird the trad itiona l use o f
Zanamivir as a potent respiratory agent.
While efforts to discover novel antiviral agents and
oseltamivir-related problems continue to attract attention,
maoto’s effect in influenza as endorsed by the NHI and
observed in our prospective study are useful information
for both healthcare practitioners and patients.
Except for one patient developing nausea from the
maoto’s distinct odor, no other serious adverse events
were reported during the study. Based on our observa-
tions, nine patients on maoto/oseltamivir combination
therapy, who were anticipated to achieve a greater over-
all symptom relief than patients in other treatment
groups, did not demonstrate apparent benefits of the
combination therapy.
The absence of a control group with inert placebo and
a control group without treatment due to insurance pur-
poses were two important caveats in this study. Addi-
tionally, we did not investigate the effect of maoto in
other influenza types because all patients recruited for
the study were uniformly infected with type A virus,
although Toriumi et al. had previously found that maoto
was as effective as oseltamivir and zanamivir in reduc-
ing fever in pediatric patients with type B influenza [13].
As the speed and routes of H1N1 propagation gain mo-
mentum, clinically-oriented studies based on isolated
strains may halt further global catastrophe.
In summary, we found that maoto improved systemic
influenza symptoms during the active disease phase as
effectively, if not, better than antiviral drugs. Moreover,
because none of the patients receiving maoto or maoto/
antiviral combination therapy suffered adverse drug re-
actions, maoto appeared to have a slightly wider safety
margin than antiviral drugs. Maoto may curb the devel-
opment of drug resistance to antivirals caused by their
misuse and overuse, and serve as an elegant option for
the treatment of influenza.
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