more potential relenza orders fr uk
the fol link is interesting in that the bureacrats who participated in the decision to buy tamiflu are scrambling to buy CYA insurance. (nb the insurance provides protection as the name suggests ' cover your axxxx)
The government today insisted that the antiviral drug Tamiflu "should work" against a pandemic disease outbreak as it was confirmed that two more people had died from H5N1 bird flu. The Department of Health said it had ordered Tamilflu on the basis of international expert advice but added that it was "looking carefully" at other drugs as a backup.
Health officials' attempts to calm fears about the effectiveness of Tamiflu came as the Indonesian health ministry confirmed that a 39-year-old security guard and an eight-year-old boy had died from bird flu.
The latest deaths mean 11 people have died from the disease in Indonesia and takes the global toll to 73.
Worries about Tamiflu have increased after doctors from the Oxford University clinical research unit working at the hospital for tropical diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, revealed that the H5N1 virus in the bloodstream of two patients rapidly developed resistance to the drug.
The deaths are reported today in the respected New England Journal of Medicine by doctors funded by the British Wellcome Trust working in Vietnam.
They urge changes to the global plans for fighting a flu pandemic. Other antiviral drugs are needed alongside Tamiflu, they say.
But the government, which has ordered 14.6m courses of Tamiflu, today insisted it was still the first line of defence against any flu pandemic.
"Whilst there is some anecdotal evidence of the build-up of resistance to antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu, at present the experience is that these drugs do work and that they should work against a pandemic strain," a Department of Health spokeswoman said.
"They need to be used carefully and appropriately to minimise the risk of resistance. Tamiflu was chosen on the basis of independent expert advice that reflected its efficacy and ease of administration. Internationally, this is agreed as the product of choice.
"Our antiviral strategy is kept under constant review and we are looking carefully at [another antiviral drug] Relenza as a possible backup to Tamiflu."
The manufacturers of Tamiflu, Roche, said that the drug had been shown to be effective against the H5N1 virus.
"The potential exists for an influenza virus to emerge with decreased sensitivity to any antiviral treatment, and Roche has both internal and external mechanisms in place to monitor for emerging reports of resistance," the company said in a statement.
"The vast majority of data, collected from thousands of patients worldwide who were treated with Tamiflu for seasonal influenza, indicate that incidence of resistant viruses is rare."
The Department of Health's chief scientist, David Harper, last month told a House of Lords committee that there could be no guarantee until the [pandemic] virus actually emerges as to "the efficacy of Tamiflu".
He told the science and technology committee that the government was taking scientific advice about alternatives to Tamiflu, such as Relenza.
"So we are keeping a very close eye on any emergence of antiviral resistance to oseltamivir [Tamiflu], and that alone would mean that we might need to reconsider our antiviral strategy."
In the subsequent report, published last week, peers said they were "extremely concerned" at the lack of clarity over the government's policy for using antiviral drugs.
"We recommend that the government develop backup plans in case resistance to oseltamivir [Tamiflu] emerges," the report stated. "These should encompass possible combination therapies or the acquisition of reserve stocks of zanamivir [Relenza]."
Last month, it emerged that safety regulators in the US and Europe were reviewing the safety of Tamiflu among children and adolescents after reports of 12 deaths and psychiatric symptoms among users in Japan.
Most governments and the World Health Organisation have opted for Tamiflu as the first line of defence against pandemic flu as evidence suggests it could slow the spread of the disease and lessen its effects.
Since it is produced in pill form, it is seen as easier to administer than Relenza, which has to be inhaled
BTA Price at posting:
0.0¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held
