David Batty Monday November 20, 2006 Guardian Unlimited
Doctors in the UK are to be warned that the bird flu drug Tamiflu could be linked to psychiatric problems including suicidal behaviour, it emerged today. In the next two to three months, Roche Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures the drug, will issue new information to doctors about more than 100 worldwide cases in which patients suffered mental health problems while taking it, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) said.
The move comes after the pharmaceutical company wrote to US doctors last week, warning that "people with the flu, particularly children, may be at an increased risk of self-injury and confusion shortly after taking Tamiflu and should be closely monitored for signs of unusual behaviour".