Don't rely on drugs to delay flu pandemic-US gov't

[Treyfish]

Don't rely on drugs to delay flu pandemic-US gov't

Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:07pm EST <script language="javascript"> var storyKeywords = "BIRDFLU PREVENTION/"; var RTR_ArticleTitle = "Don't rely on drugs to delay flu pandemic-US gov't"; var RTR_ArticleBlurb = " WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Vaccines and drugs will not be enough to slow or prevent a pandemic of influenza, according to a U.S. government report released on Tuesday. The report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office confirms what..."; </script><script language="javascript">addImpression("1161595_Article Tools");</script><script type="text/javascript"> var showComments = false; showComments = true; /** START SITELIFE INTEGRATION **/ var uniqueArtKey = "USN2236848820080122"; var articleUrl = document.location.href.split("?")[0]; var tempTitle = unescape("Don%27t+rely+on+drugs+to+delay+flu+pandemic-US+gov%27t"); tempTitle = replaceString("+", " ", tempTitle); var articleTitle = tempTitle; var articleSection = "Main_US"; var articleCategories = document.location.href.split("article/")[1].split("/")[0]; var slArtPage = new SLArticlePage(); function getNonAnchoredLink(strURL) { var returnURL; returnURL = strURL.replace(/#sl_CommentsInputAnchor/,""); return returnURL; } function singlePageView() { document.location.href = ReplaceQueryStringParam(document.location.href, "sp", "true"); } function replaceString(oldS, newS, fullS) { // Replaces oldS with newS in the string fullS for (var i = 0; i < fullS.length; i++) { if (fullS.substring(i, i + oldS.length) == oldS) { fullS = fullS.substring(0, i) + newS + fullS.substring(i + oldS.length, fullS.length); } } return fullS; } </script><noscript> </noscript><script> if (typeof(window.populateRaptAdSize) != 'undefined') populateRaptAdSize('type=featured_broker;sz=170x40;'); </script>



<!-- END:: Broker Center Advert Module -->WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Vaccines and drugs will not be enough to slow or prevent a pandemic of influenza, according to a U.S. government report released on Tuesday.
The report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office confirms what most experts have been stressing for years -- that the pharmaceutical industry cannot be relied on alone to protect the world from bird flu.
The GAO, the investigational arm of Congress, reached its own conclusion independently.
"The use of antivirals and vaccines to forestall the onset of a pandemic would likely be constrained by their uncertain effectiveness and limited availability," the GAO report reads.
Health experts almost universally agree that a global epidemic -- a pandemic -- of influenza is inevitable and even overdue. Flu is always circulating but, every few decades, a completely new strain emerges and makes millions sicker than usual.
One prime suspect is the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. It is entrenched in poultry across much of Asia, the Middle East and Africa, pops up regularly in Europe and has forced the slaughter of hundreds of millions of birds.
It also occasionally infects people, killing 219 of the 351 people infected in 14 countries since 2003.
Quick use of antiviral drugs, especially Roche AG (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) and Gilead Sciences Inc.'s (GILD.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Tamiflu, can save lives. A vaccine would also help, the GAO report noted.
But supplies of both are low and a vaccine would have to be formulated to match the precise strain causing a pandemic -- a process that currently takes months.
Many countries have no way to even keep track of outbreaks, meaning the virus could spread unnoticed.
"The delayed use of antivirals and the emergence of antiviral resistance in influenza strains could limit their effectiveness," the GAO report said.
"Current antiviral production capacity is inadequate to reach the number of antivirals WHO (World Health Organization) estimates will be needed to contain a pandemic," it added.
"Increasing global production capacity of vaccines and antivirals will take several years as new production facilities are built, materials necessary for production are acquired, and the necessary approval is received to market these medical products in various countries."
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department noted it has been aware of all the issues raised by the GAO and said this is why its pandemic plan includes other ways to limit the spread of a new virus, including closing schools and promoting hygiene measures such as hand washing.
"Our preparations are broad and deep," the Health and Human Services Department said in its comment on the GAO report. :tiphat: http://www.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUSN2236848820080122?rpc=401&

 

[hawkeye]

Re: Don't rely on drugs to delay flu pandemic-US gov't

I believe this is the report:

http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-08-92


Influenza Pandemic: Efforts Under Way to Address Constraints on Using Antivirals and Vaccines to Forestall a Pandemic
GAO-08-92 December 21, 2007
Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 71 pages)

Pandemic influenza poses a threat to public health at a time when the United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO) has said that infectious diseases are spreading faster than at any time in history. The last major influenza pandemic occurred from 1918 to 1919. Estimates of deaths worldwide if a similar pandemic were to occur have ranged between 30 million and 384 million people. Individual countries and international organizations have developed and begun to implement a strategy for forestalling (that is, containing, delaying, or minimizing the impact of) the onset of a pandemic. Antivirals and vaccines may help forestall a pandemic. GAO was asked to examine (1) constraints upon the use of antivirals and vaccines to forestall a pandemic and (2) efforts under way to overcome these constraints. GAO reviewed documents and consulted with officials of the Departments of State and Health and Human Services (HHS), international organizations, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. WHO commented that the report was comprehensive and useful. HHS stressed that vaccines and antivirals must be viewed in a larger context. State and HHS commented that the term "forestall" is ambiguous and misleading. However, GAO has used the word in a way that is consistent with WHO's use of the term.

The use of antivirals and vaccines, two elements of the international strategy to forestall a pandemic, could be constrained by their uncertain effectiveness and limited availability. To use antivirals effectively, health authorities must be able to detect a pandemic influenza strain quickly through surveillance and diagnostic efforts and use this information to administer antivirals. The effectiveness of antivirals could be limited if they are used more than 48 hours after the onset of symptoms or by the emergence of strains resistant to antivirals. Unlike antivirals, vaccines are formulated to target a specific influenza strain in advance of infection. The effectiveness of vaccines in forestalling a pandemic could be limited because such a targeted pandemic vaccine cannot be developed until that strain has been identified. Due to the time required to identify the virus and develop and manufacture a pandemic vaccine--20 to 23 weeks according to HHS--such vaccines are likely to play little or no role in efforts to forestall a pandemic in its initial phases. The availability of antivirals and vaccines in a pandemic could be inadequate due to limited production, distribution, and administration capacity. WHO has stated that it is unlikely that sufficient quantities of antivirals will be available in any country at the onset of a pandemic. The distribution and administration capacity for antivirals and vaccines is limited in some countries by poor or nonexistent delivery plans and networks, a lack of facilities for administering the drugs, and small numbers of personnel trained to administer them. The United States, its international partners, and the pharmaceutical industry are investing substantial resources to address constraints on the availability and effectiveness of antivirals and vaccines. Efforts are under way to improve influenza surveillance, including diagnostic capabilities, so that outbreaks can be quickly detected. Increased demand and government support has led manufacturers to increase research into more effective antivirals and vaccines. Manufacturers are developing new antivirals to combat influenza. New methods for developing vaccines are being studied in order to reduce the amount of vaccine that is needed and to increase the number of strains against which it is effective. Pre-pandemic vaccines, which are formulated to target influenza strains that have the potential to cause a pandemic, are being developed. However, these vaccines may or may not be effective against the pandemic strain that ultimately emerges. To overcome limitations on the availability of antivirals and vaccines, manufacturers are working to increase production at existing facilities and build new facilities. To address constraints on the distribution and administration of antivirals, stockpiles are being established to allow faster delivery of antivirals to countries experiencing outbreaks. WHO is also working to establish stockpiles of pre-pandemic vaccines. Additionally, other efforts also face limitations. For example, increasing production capacity of vaccines and antivirals will take several years as new facilities are built and necessary materials acquired.