Melbourne researchers are part of an international team that has developed a new drug to treat the flu.
Researchers from the CSIRO worked with colleagues in Canada and the United Kingdom to develop the drug that uses a different method to bind itself to the flu virus and block it from spreading.
The CSIRO's Dr Jenny McKimm-Breschkin says flu is a killer disease and some flu viruses are becoming resistant to the drugs that are already on the market.
"Half a million people die of flu each year," she said.
"A lot of people tend to sort of think of it as just a mild cough, but flu is the really serious one that knocks you off work for two to three days.
"So if we can sort of help people get better sooner then you have both impacts for the health economy, as well as just the business economy."
Dr McKimm-Breschkin says further testing on animals is needed before the drug is ready for human trials.
"We've already shown that it protects mice from a lethal flu infection," she said.
"We also need to put it into something like ferrets which actually have a very similar infection to humans, they sneeze and cough."