The FDA has approved a new flu medication in the form of a single-dose pill.
The medication, called XOFLUZA, was designed to make the flu shorter if taken within 48 hours of onset, according to the FDA.
Researchers believe the medication will prevent patients from spreading the flu, which could help reign in contagion rates following the 2017-2018 flu season, which saw 900,000 hospitalizations and 80,000 deaths -- the deadliest season in four decades, according to the FDA. The medication was approved under a priority review.
The medication is the first in a new class of antiviral medications that blocks an enzyme within the flu virus, which stops viral replication early in the influenza cycle, the FDA announced.
XOFLUZA is similar to Tamiflu, but "decreases viral shedding faster" and is associated with less side effects.
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