NZ: Tamiflu will be available to New Zealanders over the counter

[Sally Furniss]

Reuters<!--Spacer-->Tamiflu

As 11 students wait to find out if they have swine flu, from Friday anti-viral drug Tamiflu will be available to New Zealanders over the counter.


The Ministry of Health says there are 11 probable cases of swine flu in New Zealand - the students from Rangitoto College - and they are also treating 56 other cases as suspected swine flu as a precaution.


"They're scattered around the country. At this stage we know only that they've presented with symptoms, we haven't tested them yet," says National Emergency co-ordinator Steve Brazier.


Results from the 10 of the potentially affected Rangitoto students are due back from the WHO lab in Melbourne, confirming if the swine flu is in New Zealand or not, on Tuesday evening.

Concerns about the flu outbreak have seen a 130% increase in calls to Healthline and demand for Tamiflu has been steady.


New Zealand has 1.2 million doses of the anti-viral drug which are being held in the Ministry of Health stockpile - that is enough for one third of the population. Those doses are in the hands of the district health board's and so far only a few dozen doses have been handed out free to those with symptoms.

Should swine flu be confirmed - and in the worst case scenario spread - priority for Tamiflu would go to frontline health workers and other essential services like police and Civil Defence.

Outside of those stocks presently a prescription is needed if people want to get Tamiflu, but from Friday it will be available over the counter. That is when the winter flu season officially starts.

People will need to satisfy the pharmacist they have flu symptoms and they will have to pay around $75 for a five day course.
The MOH is also encouraging the public to line up for this season's winter flu jab in order to eliminate people with similar symptoms from further inquiry.
"If we increase our coverage of seasonal influenza that will probably also help clarify the situation a little anyway in dealing with potential cases of swine flu," says Director of Public Health Dr Mark Jacobs.
A tailor-made drug for swine flu is still six months away.


Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has contacted most passengers from flight NZ1 which the Rangitoto group was on-board.
There were a total of 356 passengers on flight NZ1 which arrived on Anzac morning in Auckland. Health officials confirm they have tracked down all but 18 passengers. They say finding those people has proved difficult because passenger forms had either incomplete details or were illegible.


Those passengers are now in self-imposed isolation as a precautionary measure.


Passengers on flight NZ5, which came in later on Saturday are no longer being tracked down, following the Northcote College students on that flight testing negative for influenza A.

http://tvnz.co.nz/health-news/tamiflu-made-available-over-counter-2684057

 

[kiwibird]

Re: NZ: Tamiflu will be available to New Zealanders over the counter

Chemists on alert for fakers
By GREER McDONALD - The Dominion Post
Last updated 05:00 30/04/2009

Pharmacists have warned they will be on alert for "fakers" when anti-viral drug Tamiflu goes on sale over-the-counter tomorrow.

Pharmacy Guild chief executive Annabel Young said she expected pharmacists to be inundated with requests about Tamiflu given the growing concerns about swine flu.

"This is understandable, but there are clear restrictions under which Tamiflu can be sold for the safety of the patient the pharmacist must abide by these conditions."

Tamiflu is available on prescription, but from tomorrow can be legally sold by pharmacists to patients aged over 12 who present with influenza symptoms. A five-day course will cost about $65.

She said most pharmacists had "decent amounts" of Tamiflu and would be able to dispense it to patients "where it is appropriate".

The Pharmaceutical Society's Liz Johnstone said pharmacists regularly had to deal with people who "faked" symptoms and would be expected to show a "high level of professional judgment"when dispensing Tamiflu.

Fears about the virus could prompt people to fake symptoms so as to stockpile the drug, she said.

Medsafe group manager Stewart Jessamine said the Health Ministry "remained unchanged" regarding the sale of Tamiflu by pharmacists. It expected them to follow guidance from the society and only sell Tamiflu to people who met diagnostic criteria for early flu symptoms.

Dr Jessamine said anyone who was worried but did not have symptoms, or who wanted to get Tamiflu to store, would need to have a prescription.

A College of GPs' spokesman said doctors had reported "fairly lively interest" for Tamiflu. GPs were allowed to prescribe it for people to "stockpile", but on an individual basis and patients would have to "make their case".

HOW TO USE TAMIFLU

Tamiflu is an anti-viral medicine which helps alleviate symptoms it is not a vaccine.

When should you take it?: Tamiflu needs to be taken as soon as possible (within two days) of onset of symptoms. Taking Tamiflu can prevent you catching influenza or, if you have already caught it, can alleviate symptoms and help you recover faster.

Do they have Tamiflu in Mexico?: Yes, but only a limited supply. Early reports indicate Tamiflu is having the desired effect on swine flu.

How do you take it? Tamiflu is taken orally, as a capsule or a liquid. The adult dose for seasonal influenza is one capsule (75mg) twice daily for 5 days. For prevention of influenza following close contact with an infected individual the adult dose is one capsule (75mg) daily for at least 10 days, or, in a community outbreak, once daily for up to 6 weeks.

Does it work on common flu? Yes.

Does overuse risk building up an immunity? No. Tamiflu attacks the virus so if it is not present, it will not attack your body.

What are the side effects? Tamiflu is well tolerated, the most common side effects being nausea and vomiting.

Is there enough available if everyone wants some? Both pharmacies and Tamiflu supplier Roche believe there is enough supply of it to meet demand.

 

[kiwibird]

Re: NZ: Tamiflu will be available to New Zealanders over the counter

http://www.tv3.co.nz/


Tamiflu over the counter sales a health risk, pharmacists fear
Thu, 30 Apr 2009 6:03a.m.

Allowing Tamiflu to be sold direct to people who present at a pharmacy with flu symptoms undermines efforts to contain the illness, pharmacists say.

In the winter months, from tomorrow (eds: Friday) until late September, Tamiflu can be bought without prescription, if a pharmacist considers the person is sufficiently ill.

New Zealand is the only country where Tamiflu can be bought over the counter.

A Wellington pharmacist told NZPA there were industry concerns the process ran contrary to Ministry of Health advice on pandemic planning.

Under that advice, people who feared they had a serious illness were told to stay at home.

Pharmacists feared there was risk to public health, as an unwell person could spread the illness in their efforts to obtain Tamiflu.

Many of those working in the industry were concerned, she said.

"Every pharmacist I've spoken to says this is ridiculous," she said.

"It seems quite contradictory that we are trying to prevent the spread of the infection, and we have to have face-to-face consultations."

Four influenza A samples from Rangitoto College students who returned from Mexico to Auckland last Saturday were sent to Melbourne, where three tested positive for swine flu.

All those in the group were deemed to have contracted swine flu, which has killed more than 150 people in Mexico.

The Government yesterday took steps that make swine flu a notifiable disease, saying 14 cases of the strain had been confirmed in the Auckland area, while there are another 31 suspected cases throughout the country.

Annabel Young, chief executive of the Pharmacy Guild, said yesterday she expected pharmacists would be inundated with Tamiflu requests given the current concern.

Tamiflu can not be sold for preventative use without a prescription. People who needed it for that purpose had to see a doctor.

Manufacturer Roche reiterated Tamiflu was not a vaccine against influenza but an antiviral medicine. It attacked the influenza virus and stopped it spreading further.

NZPA

 

[kiwibird]

Re: NZ: Tamiflu will be available to New Zealanders over the counter

A timely warning from February. Especially interesting that there is already an H1N1 circulating with Tamiflu resistance.

http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/news?article=84c7373a-d5aa-4283-a4ba-6cc89181bc7e

NEWS ARTICLE

11 FEBRUARY 2009 ISSUE

Influenza warning as strains get nasty

Amanda Cameron
acameron@nzdoctor.co.nz

A more deadly strain of influenza virus circulating this year, together with rising antiviral resistance and New Zealand?s low immunisation rates, has influenza experts worried.

?The ingredients are all there for an influenza season much worse than we?ve seen before or for a long time,? says National Influenza Strategy Group (NISG) chair Anna-Marie Frost. ?It?s like a bit of a bonfire ready to go.?

Christchurch virologist Lance Jennings says New Zealand is due for a more serious influenza season, as the past few have been mild.

The last serious season saw three children die from the disease during the influenza B epidemic of 2005.

Before that, an H3N2 strain of the influenza virus caused an epidemic in 1996 that saw patients waiting in corridors as hospitals couldn?t cope, Dr Jennings says.

This year?s influenza vaccine contains a Brisbane H3N2-like strain, an H1N1-like strain and a B strain.

The ?Brisbane strain? killed six children in Australia last year and medical authorities in Europe are warning it could be the most deadly influenza virus they have seen for 20 years, Ms Frost says.

Nearly all the dominant strains of the main influenza virus in the US this season, H1N1, show resistance to the leading antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu). H1N1 resistance to Tamiflu was first identified in New Zealand last year by Dr Jennings.

A variant of the H1N1 virus caused the 1918 influenza epidemic that killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

It is worrying these factors have come together at a time when influenza vaccination is a low priority for most New Zealanders because of the mild seasons recently, Ms Frost says.

Most New Zealanders still do not get the influenza vaccine, and just under half of those most vulnerable to developing serious complications do not get vaccinated.

Even healthcare professionals have poor uptake rates, Ms Frost says. DHB staff vaccination programmes only achieve coverage of between 20 and 40 per cent.

In the 13 years from 1980 to 1992, a total of 5650 New Zealanders died from influenza, at a rate of more than 400 a year.

The influenza vaccine is free for those at high risk ? people aged 65 and over and those with chronic conditions ? until the end of June. Traditionally, the number of influenze infections peaks in late June to July.

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: NZ: Tamiflu will be available to New Zealanders over the counter

Tamiflu to cost patients $60 to $80

4:00AM Friday May 01, 2009
By Isaac Davison

Tamiflu is available without prescription from today until September, but it will cost flu sufferers at least $60.


A full course of the unsubsidised drug, which is available over the counter for people showing flu symptoms, is priced at between $60 and $80.


The Government said yesterday it would provide for people who presented flu symptoms but could not pay that price.


Pharmacy Guild spokeswoman Annabel Young said the price of Tamiflu was a reasonable retail mark-up which covered the costs of running a pharmacy.


The ministry faced criticism from pharmacists who said over-the-counter sales would bring people with flu symptoms out of isolation, but said it would not relax its rules on the distribution of the drug.


The World Health Organisation announced yesterday that a swine flu pandemic was imminent, but New Zealand health authorities remained in a "contain and mitigate" phase.


A ministry report showed last night that 16 people were being treated as having swine flu, three who were confirmed by WHO tests as carrying the bug and 13 probable cases.



The number of suspected cases crept up to 111 from 104, and more than 121 were in isolation.


Auckland had the most people isolated with 72 and the only probable cases of influenza A.


Waikato District Health Board was investigating three further possible cases of swine flu yesterday, meaning it is now awaiting test results on four cases. Clearances for the region's first two possible cases came yesterday.


Deputy Director of Public Health Fran McGrath said the continuing increase in suspected cases was "absolutely what you would expect with influenza". Most new cases were relatives of people who had returned from the United States in the past week.


Director-General of Health Stephen McKernan announced that a specialist centre was being planned in Auckland to assess suspected cases.


The community-based assessment centre is likely to be at Middlemore Hospital, which is closest to Auckland Airport where incoming passengers are being screened.


"A community-based centre was provided for in the [pandemic] plan. Middlemore is much closer to the airport and has available clinical space," said Mr McKernan.


District health boards in other parts of the country are being told to prepare to set up their own centres.


New Zealand's health alert status remained in code yellow, despite the WHO moving its pandemic alert level from phase four to phase five.
Health Minister Tony Ryall said officials were still focusing on containing and mitigating the effects of the virus.


Phase five - the second highest alert level - indicated that the virus moved easily between humans, and was present in more than one country in a WHO region.


WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan said influenza pandemics must be taken seriously "precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world".


The WHO's announcement followed the death of a 23-month-old Mexican child in Texas, the first to die of swine flu outside Mexico.


In Spain, health officials confirmed the first swine flu case of a person who had not travelled to Mexico.


Dr Chan said all countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans.


"It really is all of humanity that is under threat in a pandemic."


WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

NEW ZEALAND CASES

Confirmed/probable: 16, all in Auckland, one is a child.
Suspected cases: 104, waiting test results for influenza A.
Isolations: 111 people, plus their family members.


DEFINITIONS

Isolation includes all cases and contacts in isolation or quarantine (but not people in hospital isolation). It refers to the number of cases, the actual number of people in isolation may be higher as it includes the people in the suspected category, plus their close family members.


Suspected is all people who display flu symptoms AND have travelled through areas of concern, or are contacts of cases.


Probable are all suspected cases that test positive for Influenza A all these cases are being treated as confirmed for the purposes of treatment.


Tamiflu
Tamiflu, which health authorities have been giving to people in isolation, can be purchased from pharmacies from today until September 30 but pharmacists will only sell the pills under certain conditions. Patients with early-stage flu symptoms must present themselves face-to-face to their pharmacist.


SYMPTOMS
The symptoms of influenza may include: a sore throat, coughing, fever, headaches, body aches, chills and fatigue, and diarrhoea and vomiting in some cases.



The pharmacist will assess the patient's condition according to these symptoms and determine whether Tamiflu is appropriate.


The drug is not a vaccine, and will therefore not be sold to people who are simply concerned that they may develop swine flu.


Pharmacists must abide by these conditions for the safety of the patient, and also to minimise resistance to Tamiflu.


Check with your local Pharmacy - it would be helpful to phone first to find out how individual pharmacies are dealing with this situation.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10569707&pnum=0

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: NZ: Tamiflu will be available to New Zealanders over the counter

The anti-viral drug Tamiflu has been made available over the counter in New Zealand, and already pharmacists are being inundated with requests for it.

The drug is on sale for about $70 a course but it can only be sold to people exhibiting flu symptoms.

One Auckland pharmacy has already had to turn people away.

"We have had a couple of people in this morning already who have asked for it, and we've gone through their symptoms and criteria and reassured them they don't have any signs of flu and as a consequence, we can't sell it to them," says Pharmacist Paul Avery.

Pharmacists say it's unethical to sell it for those simply wanting to stockpile the drug.

They say anyone worried they have caught the influenza a H1N1 strain should visit their doctor.

Meanwhile, there has been a large jump in the number of people in isolation or being treated with Tamiflu, following the swine flu outbreak.


401 people around New Zealand are now in isolation which is up from 111 Thursday.

The number of suspected cases has also risen to 136 although the number of probable and confirmed cases still stands at 16.

The Minister of Health, Tony Ryall has also warned that because of stock shortages the 8000 courses of Tamiflu on sale at pharmacies are not likely to be replenished once they run out.

The government has bought an alternative anti-viral drug to increase their stockpile of swine flu treatments by 10%.

New Zealand is the only country where Tamiflu can be bought over the counter.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/pharmacists-inundated-tamiflu-requests-2693535

 

[kiwibird]

Re: NZ: Tamiflu will be available to New Zealanders over the counter

http://www.infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?l=1&t=72&id=36452
1 May 2009, 3:52PM
Greens say Illness should be test for Tamiflu, not Wealth
By Green Party
17 views

Green Party Health and Wellbeing Spokesperson, Kevin Hague, said today that it was ?unfair and dangerous? for people buying Tamiflu directly from pharmacists to be faced with a bill of over $70, which is simply unaffordable for some families.

Tamiflu goes on direct sale today from pharmacies for people with genuine ?flu? symptoms. This is part of New Zealand?s regular annual anti-flu plan, rather than a response to the concerns about the H1N1 strain (Swine flu), but the recent concerns about H1N1 have highlighted the problem.

?The principle here has to be that people with the flu should be able to get effective treatment ? regardless of their ability to pay ? but a cost of more than $70 will take access to Tamiflu out of the reach of many.?

Mr. Hague said this was especially the case where the flu hit a family and multiple courses of Tamiflu were required. He said that usually this would mean nobody from the family would access treatment, but it could also result in courses of the drug being shared, which would be a disaster.

?If people are infected with a flu virus but taking less than the proper, effective dose of a treatment, this provides the classic situation in which drug-resistant strains of a virus can develop. This is potentially very dangerous.?

The Green Party is also concerned that Tamiflu should only be used for serious cases of influenza not for everyday colds and mild influenza. The widespread use of Tamiflu could also deplete our national stocks.
As the Pharmacy Guild has flagged there are issues with contagious people going to the Pharmacy to get Tamiflu for a further discussion of this please see Kevin Hague?s blog.