'Internet Firms Cash In On Demand
For £9-A-Tablet Anti-Viral Drug -
- Vaccines Are Useless Against This Virus'
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Internet firms cash in on demand for £9-a-tablet anti-viral drug
By Paul Kelbie,
The Independent, UK,
15 October 2005.
Thousands of people risk being "ripped off" by internet firms cashing in on the panic buying of drugs to guard against bird flu.
Following confirmation that the deadly virus has reached Turkey, the price of Tamiflu, an anti-viral drug that experts believe could improve survival chances among victims by up to 50 per cent, rose to nearly £9 a tablet.
Roche, the Swiss maker of Tamiflu, has issued a warning not to buy the prescription-only pill over the internet.
"We cannot vouch for internet sales," said David Reddy, Roche's executive in charge of sales of Tamiflu. "People may buy material from the internet which is purported to be Tamiflu but isn't, and which poses serious medical risks."
Yesterday, Professor Hugh Pennington, who headed the Government's probe into the E. Coli 0157 tragedy which killed at least 20 people in Lanarkshire, said people risked being "ripped off" by buying a drug they did not need.
He said: "The risk of them getting bird flu is low. Tamiflu is not [a] wonder drug. It was given to some people in Asia and did not stop them dying."
We highly recommend
Vaccines are useless against this virus
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor,
The Independent, UK,
14 October 2005.
There is no vaccine available against bird flu. Existing vaccines are unlikely to be effective against the new strain.
Researchers are working to develop a vaccine targeted at the H5N1 strain but even if it is successful, to manufacture sufficient quantities to protect the world's population from a pandemic will take years. A generic H5N1 vaccine would not prevent infection but it might lessen its severity and save lives. Countries including the UK are relying on the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.
Anti-flu drugs work in a different way from vaccines and can be used against any strain of flu. But they have a limited effect, shortening the course of the illness by a day or two, provided they are taken within 48 hours of infection. In outbreaks of ordinary human flu, they can prevent secondary complications such as pneumonia and reduce infectivity, cutting the rate of spread.
It is hoped that they would be similarly effective against bird flu in humans, saving lives by reducing the severity of the illness. But it is not certain.
The Government has ordered 14.6 million courses of Tamiflu, enough for a quarter of the population, at a cost of £200m, from the manufacturers, the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche. About 900,000 doses have been delivered.
There is a worldwide shortage of Tamiflu because the raw materials from which it is made are scarce and the manufacturing process is slow and complex. If a human pandemic were to arrive in the UK this winter, the shortage could provoke panic, with hospitals under siege.
(News items are posted under 'Fair Use' provisions)
See also:
'Is Tamiflu A Prescription For Survival?'
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