E-DRUG: ISDB Press Release oseltamivir
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The International Society of Drug Bulletins
What is more dangerous to your health: flu or Tamiflu° (oseltamivir)?
2 February 2007
In many countries such as Japan oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) is promoted for
common flu. Oseltamivir has been stockpiled by more than 300 corporations,
some governments in developed countries, as well as the World Health
Organization (WHO), in case a new-type flu pandemic occurs.
There is some confusion between what is known of oseltamivir in treatment or
prevention of common flu, and what is known of its effects in treatment or
prevention of complications during a hypothetical new-type flu pandemic.
Most often flu is a mild and self-limited infection, and there is no
evidence that oseltamivir reduces the frequency of serious flu
complications, whether in healthy people or vulnerable populations. At most
oseltamivir reduces flu symptoms by one day, which is not relevant.
There is no evidence that oseltamivir prevents flu complications in close
contacts of flu infected patients during a seasonal outbreak.
So far avian flu can hardly be seen as a global public health problem. There
is no evidence that oseltamivir is effective at preventing or curing
complications during a new-type flu pandemic.
Oseltamivir commonly induces nausea and vomiting, and there is increasing
evidence that oseltamivir may cause serious side effects, such as abnormal
behaviour and sudden death from respiratory depression. The FDA warned about
the possibility of neuropsychiatric side effects of oseltamivir following
consistent reports, mostly from Japan, where oseltamivir is widely used
(www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2006/safety06.htm#tamiflu).
Therefore ISDB calls on caregivers and the public to avoid using oseltamivir
in common flu, due to increasing evidence that oseltamivir may cause more
harm than good. Oseltamivir does not provide value for money in common flu.
ISDB calls on WHO to stop stockpiling oseltamivir, considering the absence
of solid evidence that the drug could be helpful during a new-type flu
pandemic. Stockpiling of oseltamivir by WHO is also seen to contribute to
the hype surrounding the unwarranted use of oseltamivir (³An iatrogenic
pandemic of panic² BMJ 2006; 332; 786-788).
Contact: Rokuro Hama
(gec00724@nifty.com)
International Society of Drug Bulletins (ISDB) www.isdbweb.org ISDB is a
worldwide network of more 73 bulletins and journals on drugs and
therapeutics that are financially and intellectually independent of
pharmaceutical industry. The overall aim of ISDB is to encourage the
rational use of drugs, to assist the development of independent drug
bulletins in all countries and to facilitate co-operation amongst them.
Christophe Kopp
La Revue Prescrire
<Christophe.Kopp@wanadoo.fr>
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