'Tis the Season for a Flu Test

Executive Summary

With the introduction of two new drugs for fighting the flu, the diagnostic tests for influenza become all the more important. Several niche players are hoping that physicians will use the tests to determine which patients have the flu in order to determine how to treat them. But for drug companies eager for as many patients as possible to use their therapies, the tests are a mixed blessing. They might help drug companies score points with payers, eager to curb the costs of treating an unpleasant but not usually serious disease, but they also help to limit the use of the drug to only those people who have the flu.