Antivirals are an effective treatment following infection with influenza viruses when administered early during the course of disease. The 2009 H1N1 viruses analysed, to date, are all resistant to the adamantadine class of antivirals but remain sensitive to neuraminidase inhibitors [3] . Available data indicate that the rate of prescribing antivirals to seasonal influenza virus-infected individuals, ranging in age from infants to adults, is similar between males and females in the USA [113] [114] [115] . In contrast, inappropriate prescription of antibiotics for seasonal influenza is greater for women [114] . A meta-analysis of data from randomized, doubleblind clinical trials illustrates that, following treatment with oseltamivir, men return to their baseline wellness faster than women, suggesting that antiviral treatment for seasonal influenza may be more effective in men [116] . Whether this observation reflects patient reporting biases, need for differential drug doses or other confounding factors is not clear. These data do, however, indicate that sex and gender should be considered when evaluating the efficacy of antiviral treatment for 2009 H1N1.