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Flu News for Senior Citizens
Flu Medicine Heavily Hoarded in 2005 but Not by
Endangered Senior Citizens
300%
jump in prescriptions by healthiest
Americans after pandemic alert
October 17, 2006 – There was extensive hoarding of
the antiviral medication Tamiflu last year after the news media warned
of avian flu and America learned to fear the word "pandemic." It was
not, however, the senior citizens, the age group most likely to get the
flu and whose lives are most endangered, that were doing the hoarding.
It was the 50 through 64 year olds who were filling the most
prescriptions.
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on
FLU 2005-06 |
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According to a collaborative study by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Medco Health Solutions, Inc., Tamiflu presecriptions jumped more than 300 percent during the fall of
2005, despite little or no influenza activity in the U.S.
Further findings of the study showed that among age
groups, the highest prescription rates in 2005 were for persons aged
50-64 years, despite the fact that those 65 years and older experience
more annual influenza disease; and there was a seven-fold increase in
Tamiflu prescriptions for children under 18 from 2004 to 2005.
Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) prescriptions filled during
September and October rose to 133.6 per 100,000 insured Medco enrollees
in 2005, up from 27.3 prescriptions per 100,000 enrollees during that
same time period in 2004. When extrapolated to the U.S. population,
that's 305,000 more Tamiflu prescriptions filled in 2005 than would have
been expected based on 2004 prescribing rates.
The largest proportion of Tamiflu prescriptions
filled in 2005 was by those categorized as the healthiest patients. Not
only were the strong middle aged Americans stocking up, there was also a
seven-fold increase in Tamiflu prescriptions for children under 18.
Another finding of the investigation revealed a
correlation between a physician's years out of medical school and his or
her rate of Tamiflu prescribing. Older, more experienced physicians,
regardless of specialty, prescribed more Tamiflu than younger, more
recently trained physicians.
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Hoarding
was suspected last year and Tamiflu shipments were temporarily
halted. Read story below. |
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Tamiflu Vaccine Shipments to U.S. Halted by
Manufacturer
Tamiflu, Relenza antiviral drugs primarily for
regular flu but seen as help in avian flu battle and hoarding suspected
Oct. 28, 2005 – The manufacturer of Tamiflu, a
vaccine primarily for the regular seasonal flu, but also considered as
help against avian flu, has announced a halt to shipments of their
vaccine to the U.S. Excessive orders have led the company to believe
their drug is being hoarded by companies anticipating a high demand if
avian flu should emerge in this country.
Read more...
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The investigation also found that the number of
prescriptions written per doctor increased substantially. Since Tamiflu
is recommended for use within 48 hours after flu symptoms appear and
virtually no cases of the illness had been reported during this time
period, it is likely that the medication was not prescribed to treat the
flu; instead it was probably stockpiled by patients over fears of a
possible bird flu outbreak.
The rise in Tamiflu prescriptions also corresponded
closely to increased media coverage of avian flu, but the media was also
warning against hoarding.
"The correlation between the heightened U.S. media
coverage around Tamiflu and the prescription activity for the drug
between September and November in 2005 is uncanny -- nearly a five-fold
increase in prescribing rates among physicians occurred over this
typically low influenza time period," said Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco's
chief medical officer and co-author of the presentation.
The findings from the first national study of
personal Tamiflu stockpiling were presented at the annual meeting of the
Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).
Editor's Notes:
Tamiflu in Brief
Tamiflu is an oral antiviral treatment, not a
vaccine for influenza. The medicine can reduce the severity and duration
of the illness if started within two days of the onset of flu symptoms.
To prevent the flu, Tamiflu must be started within two days of the
contact with someone who has the flu. When administered according to its
approved dosage, Tamiflu delivers a 38 percent reduction in the severity
of symptoms, a 67 percent reduction in secondary complications and a 37
percent reduction in the duration of the influenza illness. Tamiflu has
been used by about 42 million people worldwide since its launch and
mortality in patients taking Tamiflu both in adults and children is
lower than in influenza patients who are not treated with Tamiflu. While
laboratory studies have shown Tamiflu somewhat effective in treating
avian flu, drug studies in humans are still needed to determine
treatment efficacy and the best therapy regimen.
Pandemic Influenza
Three conditions must be met for a pandemic to
occur: first a new influenza virus subtype must emerge for which there
is little or no human immunity, second it must infect humans and cause
illness, and third it must spread easily and continue without
interruption among humans. In its current state, the H5N1 virus does not
meet the third condition.
Government Action
Federal, state and local health agencies are making
plans to prepare for, respond to, and contain an outbreak of pandemic
flu. Actions include developing a national stockpile of antiviral drugs
to help treat and control the spread of the disease should an outbreak
occur; testing possible vaccines, preparing communities, business, and
organizations for an influenza outbreak; and working with the World
Health Organization (WHO) and other nations to help contain and detect
outbreaks and providing current accurate information on pandemic flu
issues at
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/.
About Medco
Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MHS)
is the nation's leading pharmacy benefit manager based on its 2005 total
net revenues of nearly $38 billion. Medco's prescription drug benefit
programs are designed to drive down the cost of pharmacy health care for
private and public employers, health plans, labor unions and government
agencies of all sizes, and for individuals served by the Medicare Part D
Prescription Drug Program. Medco's technologically advanced mail-order
pharmacies and award-winning Internet pharmacy have been recognized for
setting new industry benchmarks for pharmacy dispensing quality. Medco
serves the needs of patients with complex conditions requiring
sophisticated treatment through its specialty pharmacy operation, which
became the nation's largest with the 2005 acquisition of Accredo Health,
Incorporated. Medco is the highest-ranked pharmacy benefit manager on
the 2006 Fortune 500 list. On the Net:
http://www.medco.com/.
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