U.S. health regulators have approved the first new type of flu drug in two decades for people age 12 and older. Xofluza is a pill that can reduce severity and shorten THE duration of flu symptoms after one just dose. It works about as well as Tamiflu, which is also available in cheaper generic versions. Tamiflu is taken twice daily for five days. Health officials have said an estimated 80,000 Americans died of flu and its complications last winter, the disease’s highest death toll in at least four decades. The new flu drug will cost $150 without insurance.