Low Dose Tamiflu Given Approval In EU
Written by Stuart Stevens | Tuesday, 24 July 2007 | There are 0 comments
The Tamiflu drug is easily the best selling influenza medication in the world...
About a month ago we reported at Ukmedix News that the Food & Drug Administration in America had given approval for special lowered dose types of the influenza drug Tamiflu made by the pharmaceutical giant Roche. Well the good news is that the EMEA which regulates the sale and marketing of drugs for human consumption in the European Union has also gone ahead and given Tamiflu in the special small doses the green light.
The new low dose versions of Tamiflu are in capsules of 30mg and 45mg instead of the usual 75mg capsules. The idea is that these lowered dose versions will be able to be administered to children easily. Also as they are smaller, people who are very sick and unable to swallow large pills will be able to take these smaller ones. They are also likely to be given to frail older people who may not benefit from such a large dose of Tamiflu.
The Tamiflu drug is easily the best selling influenza medication in the world. The reason for it’s very dramatic success in this market is that it is the only drug which is OK'ed by the World Health Organisation to be able to beat the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus that originated in a number of Asian countries a few years ago. Governments and health authorities all over the world have been advised to make sure that they have enough Tamiflu to treat 25 percent of their populations. Some countries have even stocked up more than the required 25 percent target and for a number of years Roche was unable to keep up with the demand.
With the approval of the lowered dose versions of Tamiflu it is more than likely that sales of the oseltamivir drug (as it is scientifically known) will continue to rise.
