A randomised, open-label clinical study on the efficacy of baloxavir marboxil and oseltamivir for post-exposure prevention of influenza in a hospital setting: a study protocol.

Authors

Xin Li, Ziyi Chu, Mengmeng Peng, Kun Yan, Yun Guan, Chunli Yang, Jianxiu Xu, Lijie Qiu, Ting Liu

Published in

BMJ open. Volume 16. Issue 8. Pages e118748. Aug 19, 2026. Epub Aug 19, 2026.

Abstract

Healthcare settings are high-risk environments for the transmission of respiratory viruses. Effective strategies to prevent hospital-acquired influenza, particularly post-exposure prophylaxis for close contacts (CCs), are urgently needed. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of baloxavir marboxil (baloxavir) and oseltamivir in preventing influenza virus infection among CCs who have been exposed to confirmed influenza cases and are unable to be immediately isolated in the hospital ward.
This multicentre, randomised, open-label, parallel-controlled trial involves hospitalised patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza (index patients) and their CCs. CCs will be randomised into three groups: baloxavir marboxil, oseltamivir or placebo. Baloxavir (40 mg or 80 mg for ≥80 kg) will be administered as a single dose on day 1, while oseltamivir (75 mg) will be given once a day for 5 days. CCs will be monitored for influenza-like symptoms, with respiratory samples collected for rapid antigen test or reverse-transcription PCR testing at baseline, day 5±1 and day 10±1 or earlier if symptoms develop. The primary outcome is the 5-day incidence of clinical influenza, defined as laboratory-confirmed infection with concurrent fever and at least one respiratory symptom. Secondary outcomes will include the 5-day incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza, the 10-day incidence of clinical influenza and the percentage of CCs infected with resistance-associated treatment-emergent influenza variants.
The study has been approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of China-Japan Friendship Hospital (2024-KY-401). The results of the study will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal with online accessibility. The full protocol, de-identified participant data and statistical code will be openly available in a public repository within 12 months after trial completion.
NCT06762587.

PMID:
42624586
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 21 Aug 2026.

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