US seizes counterfeit Tamiflu drug

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – U.S. authorities have seized 51
packages of counterfeit Tamiflu, a drug that can be used to
treat potentially deadly Avian flu, a customs service
spokeswoman said on Monday.

Agents seized the shipments at a U.S. airmail facility in
South San Francisco in an operation that began in late November
and anticipate more coming into the United States by mail, said
Roxanne Hercules, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Customs and Border
Protection service.

“It’s our expectation that we would probably see more,”
said Hercules, noting the substances seized by federal agents
had only trace elements of Tamiflu.

The substances had been ordered over the Internet and
shipped from Asia, Hercules said, but gave no more details.

Tamiflu, manufactured by Roche, is being stockpiled
worldwide amid fears of a flu pandemic. Doctors believe the
drug would help to control H5N1 avian influenza, more widely
known as bird flu.