companies will pay an annual charge to reserve a special allocation of Tamiflu

Ukmedix News has learned of a new plan from the pharmaceutical company Roche which will enable American companies to build up their own personal stockpiles of the influenza medication Tamiflu. This will be used to protect their own employees and ensure that the companies remain operational and effective should a bird flu pandemic break out in the United States.

Under the plan which has been given the backing from the United States Health and Human Services Department individual companies will pay an annual charge which will reserve a special allocation of their own Tamiflu. Roche will manage and store the Tamiflu for the companies and keep the stockpile within the best before dates. The World Health Organisation has repeatedly said that stockpiling large amounts of Tamiflu which can be moved around to the hot spots of influenza in the event of a pandemic are an essential part of the influenza preparation process.

Worldwide sales of the Tamiflu drug have fallen in the last year as most nations have completed their stockpiling of the medication. A couple of years ago Roche was unable to meet demand for Tamiflu and had to sign license agreements with a number of other pharmaceutical companies in order to meet all the orders. In America is estimated that there is enough Tamiflu and other influenza medications to give to only about 25 percent of the population and that is probably why the American government welcomes this initiative.

Companies having their own stockpiles of influenza medication could initiate medical and ethical dilemmas should there be a shortage of the Tamiflu drug obtainable to the general public in America. If that was the case would companies therefore be required to give up their own stocks potentially risking the health of their employees? Individual families all around the world have also been known to stock up with Tamiflu rather than rely on the state provision of the drug in the event of a pandemic.