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Demand Soars for Tamiflu

Posted on: Thursday, 15 September 2005, 21:00 CDT

TAMIFLU FACTS

Tamiflu is an antiviral medicine effective against the strains of bird flu circulating in birds in Asia.

If taken within 48 hours of becoming ill, it stops the virus from bursting out of infected cells, infecting new cells and possibly other people.

It can prevent people getting flu if taken after exposure but before symptoms develop.

It is not yet known if it will cure people with bird flu.

Tamiflu can be prescribed at a GP's discretion.

Decisions on who will get government-funded Tamiflu will be made after the pandemic arrives. Source: Ministry of Health. See www. moh.govt.nz/pandemicinfluenza

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GPs are prescribing supplies of anti-bird flu drugs for themselves, their families and their colleagues, despite advice not to prescribe it to their patients.

Tamiflu -- the world's best hope against a deadly flu pandemic -- is being stockpiled by Western governments and the World Health Organisation. Experts fear a global flu outbreak is inevitable and overdue.

The Ministry of Health has warned that a pandemic could overwhelm health services, leaving thousands to fend for themselves.

As a result, a growing number of professionals, including doctors, virologists, university lecturers and journalists, are buying Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) for themselves and their families. The prescription-only drug costs about $75 for a course and can be safely stored for up to five years.

Controversially, Pegasus Health, which represents the majority of Christchurch GPs, has advised its doctors to avoid prescribing Tamiflu to the "wealthy, worried well", fearing this could exhaust supplies of the precious pills.

Soaring demand has stripped New Zealand's drug cupboards of Tamiflu in recent weeks. However, manufacturer Roche said new supplies would be available this week.

Internationally, the firm doubled its Tamiflu production capacity last year and would double it again this year. It would not say how many doses of Tamiflu it had sold privately, except to confirm the increase in demand was "significant".

Roche said private prescriptions would not affect the Government's $26 million order for 835,000 doses, and this would be filled by the end of the year.

The Government's stockpile is enough for one in five New Zealanders, at most. If frontline health professionals take it daily, rather than in response to symptoms, stocks would be restricted further.

Christchurch GP Doug Smith said even doctors were not relying on government supplies, and many he knew had Tamiflu in the cupboard. He had written half a dozen prescriptions, "most of them to people in the healthcare industry", and believed it was "crazy" to refuse it to patients.

"I don't think they have a right to start telling people how to look after their families," he said. "It's a form of medical insurance ... and if they can afford it they should absolutely have it."

Hurricane Katrina showed how badly wrong government disaster planning could go, Smith said. "Would you trust the government to give it to you? It's a no-brainer."

Linwood GP David Kerr said his practice had bought Tamiflu for its staff and some had bought supplies for their own families.

He said he would not refuse it to patients who asked.

Ilam GP Pippa MacKay said she was told by a virologist that the more people who had personal supplies of Tamiflu the better. "The more we prescribe the more will come into the country."

Defending Pegasus' advice to GPs, managing director Paul McCormack said it was based on concerns about supply shortages. "If Tamiflu was widely available with an unlimited amount of stock, I'd change the advice."

McCormack feared people may not know when to take their Tamiflu and could waste it on their first cold.

Widespread inappropriate use could see the flu strain developing a resistance to Tamiflu, making it ineffective "when we really, really need it", said McCormack.

He said Tamiflu was being seen as a magic bullet when there was no proof it would work.

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Source: Press, The; Christchurch, New Zealand

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