by comparison xofluza was shown to only cause mild side effects in clinical trials such as coldlike symptoms and headaches but he also emphasized that the best method for treating the flu is by not getting it in the first place stock photogetty images how much does it cost the drug is known to make symptoms of the flu less severe and shorten their duration genentechap for people who have insurance it could be as low as 30 but whereas tamiflu requires patients to take two doses a day for about five days xofluza requires only a single dose if taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms stock photogetty images xofluza is also associated with fewer side effects the food and drug administration approved a new flu medication on wednesday and medical professionals are ecstatic about it tamiflu has been associated with upset stomachs and headaches and even some psychiatric effects like delirium and hallucinations we welcome any additional tools available to us to treat influenza when patients become ill and this new drug is a convenient onedose option for patients dr david priest medical director for infection prevention at novant health told abc news a woman blows her nose in this undated stock image a doctor is pictured filling out a form while treating a child patient in this undated stock photo the last flu season from 2017 to 2018 is considered to be the deadliest in four decades with more than an estimated 900000 hospitalizations and 80000 deaths according to the centers for disease control and prevention this undated product image provided by genentech shows a box for xofluza a pill for shortening the duration and easing symptoms of the flu xofluza can also reduce the amount of time a person is sick by more than a day because the drug called xofluza is the first and only singledose oral medicine approved for treating the flu like tamiflu it seems to work better the quicker it gets into the patient dr todd ellerin infectious disease specialist at south shore hospital in massachusetts told abc news and equally as important xofluza could possibly stop the spread of flu faster than tamiflu genentech says that xofluza was shown to be effective in nonclinical studies against a wide range of flu viruses including tamifluresistant and avian strains such as h7n9 and h5n1 genentech the maker of xofluza says that it works best if taken within 48 hours of these symptoms beginning how quickly does xofluza work eric m strauss is the managing editor of abc news medical unit more fda approves new flu pill that can be taken after onset of symptoms the strength of the flu each year is dependent on a few factors including which strains of the virus are circulating how effective the vaccine is and how many people get vaccinated if you start feeling symptoms of the flu such a shortness of breath high fever and abdominal pain you should see a doctor as soon