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U.S. Flu Outbreak Strains Demand for Remedies and Test Kits

Posted on: Saturday, 13 December 2003, 06:00 CST

By JOHN NOLAN

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Manufacturers of tests used to determine if a patient has the flu say the current outbreak has strained their ability to meet demand from hospitals, medical laboratories and doctors' offices.

Jack Kraeutler, president of test kit distributor based Meridian Bioscience Inc. (VIVO), said the company is running about a week behind in filling orders.

"I don't think that there's a manufacturer or a health professional who hasn't been overwhelmed with how quickly it's moved," Kraeutler said.

The number of states hit hard by the flu has doubled to 24 over the past week and now includes most of the western half of the country. Nationwide, at least 20 children have died in what could become the worst flu season in years.

The diagnosis test involves swabbing a patient's throat and exposing the sample to flu antibodies. If the antibodies attack the sample, a color or pattern shows up to indicate the person has the flu.

The tests are considered a reliable way of detecting which strain of flu a patient has, said Kristopher Weiss, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health. Determining the strain helps doctors figure out the appropriate treatment, he said.

An early diagnosis can help a doctor determine whether to recommend that the patient stay home and avoid spreading the flu to others in offices or schools, churches and day care centers, Kraeutler said.

"If you've got a definitive diagnosis, it's good for controlling spread of the infection in the population," he said.

The Baltimore-based BD Diagnostics Systems, which also manufactures the kits, said it already has received as many orders as the company got last year for the entire flu season. The season, which generally begins in late December and ends in March, started earlier this year.

"We are working around the clock right now, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Michael Meehan, president of BD Diagnostics Systems. "As fast as we can make them, they're being ordered and shipped. There's a lot of testing going on out there."

About two million flu tests are done nationwide during a typical flu season, but that number could be exceeded in this season, Meehan said.

Quidel Corp. (QDEL), which is based in San Diego, has increased its production of flu test kits to 24 hours a day, seven days a week to accommodate the heavy demand, said S. Wayne Kay, president and chief executive officer. He declined to say how many flu tests his company sells.

Flu Remedies Are Selling Quickly

Hours after Dave Stellick arrived on a flight from Atlanta, he was in a drug store looking for cold and flu medication.

"I was sitting next to a guy on the plane that was sneezing and I was just thinking, 'I know I'm going to get sick in a week,'" said Stellick, 36, of Atlanta. "Too much traveling, too much flying sitting next to sick people."

Nyquil, Tylenol, Robitussin, Advil, Tamiflu: With the flu vaccine running out and the number of flu cases climbing, drug stores and online companies around the country are reporting brisk sales of both over-the-counter remedies and prescription drugs in the past few weeks.

"I'd say this is the most severe year we've seen in quite a number of years," said Ken Chao, pharmacy director for the King Soopers grocery chain.

The number of states hit hard by the flu has doubled to 24 over the past week and now includes most of the western half of the country. Nationwide, at least 20 children have died in what could become the worst flu season in years.

Drugstore.com reported a 46 percent increase in sales of over-the-counter flu products in the past five weeks, compared with the same period of 2002, said Rasa Perhanian, who oversees such sales.

A nurse prepares a flu shot at a clinic in Noblesville, Ind., Friday, Dec. 12, 2003. With the flu virus sweeping through Indiana, health officials are juggling supplies to find enough of the influenza vaccine to go around. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)

A child receives a flu shot. Credit: AP

"Last week alone, I sold 50 percent more product than the week before," she said.

Walgreen Drug Stores and Wal-Mart reported a rise in sales of flu drugs in the past week, but gave no figures.

Among prescription drugs, demand has picked up for Tamiflu - which can prevent or relieve the flu - and for FluMist, a nasal version of the flu vaccine, according to the makers of the medicines. They gave no numbers.

Some stores have reported intermittent shortages of certain products.

A test that doctors use to determine if a patient has the flu was also reported in short supply. Manufacturers of the rapid-diagnosis kits said they're straining to meet demand from hospitals and doctors' offices.

Cincinnati-based Meridian Bioscience Inc. (VIVO), said it's running about a week behind in filling orders for the kit. The test involves swabbing a patient's throat and exposing the sample to flu antibodies. If the antibodies attack the sample, a color or pattern shows up to indicate the person has the flu.

Jake Mossman, owner of a Taos, N.M., pharmacy, said the number of inquiries he has had from customers needing advice on the flu has doubled in a two-day period.

"Over-the-counter and prescription volume has gone up tremendously in the same time frame, so I think there are people who are definitely ill," he said. "We haven't gotten to the point where we've run out of anything other than the prescription anti-virus have been hard to get."

Ben's Best kosher deli in New York City first offered its "cold and flu baskets" with chicken soup and tissues in 1986 as a way for customers to comfort sick friends. Deli owner Jay Parker estimated he sold 350 baskets last year, and expects more of the same this year. The basket includes a mug that says "Jewish penicillin."

"It's just somebody's way of showing the next person they care about them," he said.

Parker, who is married to a pharmacist, said: "She gets you on the prescription side. I get you on the holistic side."

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