Fears over bird flu mean drug sells out

Demand for the anti-bird flu drug Tamiflu is growing so fast the company that supplies it has not been able to keep up with orders.

New Zealanders, particularly travellers and those going on business to Southeast Asia, are seeking their own supplies as public fears of a global flu pandemic increase.

Bird flu has infected about 112 people and killed 57 in Asia since the end of 2003. Health experts have warned that as long as bird flu exists there is a risk it could mutate, become highly infectious and transfer from human to human.

Tamiflu is seen as the best way of preventing a pandemic - in conjunction with measures such as vigilant personal hygiene and avoiding public places.

Stuart Knight, sales and marketing director for Roche, said yesterday that within two days of last week's shipment arriving the company had distributed all its supplies to wholesalers. The next planned delivery was in the first week of next month.

He said the company had seen a "significant and sustained" increase in demand this year, initially because of the shortage of this winter's influenza vaccine but more recently because of concerns about a flu pandemic. Media coverage of a pandemic had contributed.

If demand continued, people wanting Tamiflu could expect to wait up to three months for a prescription to be filled.

Mr Knight said Roche's obligation to fulfil the Government order was not affected by any changes in public demand.

Some pharmacies contacted by the Herald had run out of Tamiflu but others still had supplies.

Chieh Lin Ho, pharmacist at Radius Care 104 in Auckland's Queen St, said in the past two weeks it had sold about 28 packets of Tamiflu, compared with one packet for the whole of last year. Most of those buying the drug were travelling to Southeast Asia but one family wanted it "just in case bird flu hit New Zealand".

Wendy Penno, managing director of Travel Doctor New Zealand, said from 30 to 50 people at its Auckland clinic were waiting for Tamiflu.

Companies had sought the drug for staff travelling overseas.

Dr Daniel Wu, of College Hill Doctors in Central Auckland, who had prescribed Tamiflu for patients going overseas, said there appeared to be a degree of public panic.

While people at the frontline, such as doctors, nurses and those working in customs, needed to make sure they had access to Tamiflu he did not believe the general public needed to "fork out all that money".

"There are other more important things like basic hygiene and avoiding public places. All those things are far more important than having a packet of Tamiflu," he said.

But Dr Jonathan Fox, president of the Royal College of General Practitioners and a Meadowbank GP, did not believe people were panicking, there was simply increased public awareness.

Ministry of Health director of public health Dr Mark Jacobs said it was "entirely appropriate" for some level of concern about a possible pandemic.

"There's going to be another influenza pandemic. History teaches us that. We don't know if the current bird flu is the start of that.

"We don't know when it will hit. It could happen soon or it might be years off."

Dr Jacobs said the ministry was not advising people to buy Tamiflu but they had the right to ask their GP for a prescription for it.

"It is by no means a magic bullet. It hasn't been tested in a pandemic situation before."

Dr Jacobs said the best planning in the world would not prevent significant impact to the community during an epidemic. Common sense precautions such as regularly washing hands and staying home would be vital.

An estimated 100 people die from influenza in New Zealand each year.

Bird flu in NZ

* The Ministry of Health is leading a pandemic action plan with agencies such as Customs, police, civil defence and local authorities to prepare for a global influenza outbreak. Moves such as closing New Zealand's borders, schools and workplaces are being discussed.

* As part of the plan the Government has funded about 850,000 Tamiflu doses, or enough for 21 per cent of the population.

* The ministry will not decide who gets the state-funded doses until a pandemic hits.

* Increasing numbers of New Zealanders are buying their own supplies of Tamiflu and manufacturer Roche is not able to keep up with demand.