A single dose of an experimental influenza drug is more effective than the preferred drug Tamiflu in treating bird flu, at least in lab mice, a UW-Madison study has found.

The report in the Public Library of Science Journal PLoS Pathogens covers one of the dozens of ongoing studies of a new batch of influenza drugs being developed by a variety of companies.

Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin and colleagues wrote in their report, "Importantly, a single dose of CS-8958 conferred a more potent and long-lasting protective effect to mice against H5N1 influenza viruses than that of oseltamivir phosphate".

They further wrote, "CS-8958 is, therefore, a promising candidate for a new neuraminidase inhibitor to prevent and treat influenza patients infected with H5N1 and other subtype viruses".

The study, which was funded by Daiichi Sanyo and the Japanese Government, had no say in the research's design or its publication.

The fading pandemic of H1N1 influenza revived interest in the development of better drugs to fight flu, after The World Health Organization announced on Tuesday that "it was premature to declare the H1N1 swine flu pandemic had passed its peak".