Tamiflu treatment was linked to 103 cases of "bizarre behavior" between August 2005 and July 2006, and reported to the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). The "bizarre behavior" included delirium, hallucinations, suicidal tendencies, suicide and cardiac arrest. The FDA is unsure
if the "bizarre behavior" is caused by Tamiflu, the flu - or a combination of both. As it happens, the FDA decided in November of 2005 that Tamiflu
did
not cause the deaths of 12 children in Japan, as was reported last year. It's deja vu all over again.
www.earthtimes.org
One of the most common drugs given for seasonal flu, Tamiflu, seems to having some neuropsychiatric effect on patients, especially children.
Tamiflu is one of the four drugs which are administered for seasonal flu in the US. Over the past one year that is from August 2005 to July 2006 The
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received 103 cases of bizarre behavior after the consumption of the drug. Strange behavior included
delirium, hallucinations and suicidal tendencies. Out of the 103 cases 95 were reported from Japan and mostly in Japanese children below the age of
17.
The agency is still to decipher if the strange behavior is caused due to the drug, the flu or a combination of both.
***
Tamiflu to carry warning about abnormal behaviour
The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. (FDA) is recommending that patients who take Tamiflu be closely monitored for signs of abnormal
behaviour. ...The announcement is the latest update on the drug which is currently the first line of defence should a bird flu pandemic erupt, and
comes as a result of 12 deaths and psychiatric symptoms among users in Japan.
Of the 103 reported new cases of delirium, suicidal behaviour and other mental problems between August 2005 and July 2006, three cases were fatal.
...Ninety five of the cases were apparently Japanese children treated with the drug.
The agency's review found that of the 12 deaths there was one suicide, four cases of sudden death and four cases of cardiac arrest. ...There were 32
reports of psychiatric "events" among children, including hallucinations and abnormal behaviour and in two cases a 12-year-old and 13-year-old jumped
out of second-floor windows of their homes after taking the medication.
Tamiflu does not prevent flu (but) can reduce the length and severity of its symptoms.
***
Flu drug carries new warning after delirium reports
The drug Tamiflu now carries a new warning following reports of delirium among some people, mostly in Japan, taking the medication to treat influenza,
the manufacturer and US regulators announced. ...The notification to doctors from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates medicine,
and the Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Roche, which manufactures Tamiflu, also used to fight the deadly strain of bird flu, was reported on the FDA
website Monday.
The antiviral drug's "precautions section" notes that "there have been postmarketing reports (mostly from Japan) of self-injury and delirium with the
use of Tamiflu in patients with influenza," according to a copy posted on the FDA site. ..."The reports were primarily among pediatric patients. The
relative contribution of the drug to these events is not known," the text says. ..."Patients with influenza should be closely monitored for signs of
abnormal behavior throughout the treatment period," it adds.
There have been 103 cases, 95 of them in Japan, of delirium among people with the flu who took Tamiflu, especially among children and adolescents, the
FDA said, adding that 60 percent of the patients were under 17. Suicide was reported in some cases. ...The "possible side effects" section of the
drug's "patient information" insert now notes: "People with the flu, particularly children, may be at an increased risk of self-injury and confusion
shortly after taking Tamiflu and should be closely monitored for signs of unusual behavior."
***
19/11/05: US clears bird flu drug Tamiflu
America's powerful medicines regulator has ruled there is no evidence of a link between the bird flu drug Tamiflu and the deaths of 12 children in
Japan.
A Food and Drug Administration panel found no "causal link" between the deaths over the past 13 months and the drug, which is widely distributed.
Swiss manufacturer Roche welcomed the ruling, saying: "The positive role of Tamiflu remains unchanged."
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
Factoid: Tamiflu doesn't work on the new H5N1 bird flu strains - most developed resistance a while ago. But US, British and Canadian governments are
still spending fortunes to stockpile the drug for "key government officials."
Roche is feathering its nest with windfall profits from the bird flu drug, with 2005 third-quarter group
sales approaching $20 billion.
Roche is no stranger to price fixing. In 1999, the corporation pleaded guilty to a worldwide conspiracy to form a cartel to criminally "raise, fix and
maintain" prices for vitamins sold in the United States and elsewhere. Roche was fined $500 million. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, this
record fine was the highest criminal fine in history.
***
The United States has only enough Tamiflu stockpiled to cover about 2% of its population. Who’s going to get
it?
Countries have formulated different priority lists. While Australia embraces funeral directors among those first in line, Canada places key
"decision-makers" such as "elected officials" at the top the list. Britain also includes prominent politicians and adds workers at the BBC over
pregnant women, children, and sick patients. The mayor of London has stockpiled more than £1 million worth of Tamiflu for his personal office and
staff—nearly 100,000 tablets. The United States also intends to prioritize "key government officials." "That’s a different mind-set than people
are used to," explained Nebraska’s chief medical officer, "and it’s going to be a little bit controversial."
The Pentagon has long claimed first dibs on the U.S. Tamiflu stockpile, insisting that "top priority for use of vaccine or antiviral medications is in
forward deployed operational forces." Given President Bush's suggested militarization of the pandemic response, imagine the conflict this could create
between troops in the streets and critical first-responder medical personnel, fighting over the limited supply and further threatening the public
health response.
At this point, there will be none left over for the general U.S. population. Do the math: Excluding military appropriation, there are nearly
ten million health care workers and more than two million public safety workers such as police and firefighters, more than twice the mid-2006
stockpile. Even among countries with the highest per-capita stockpiles in the world, like Australia, only 10% of the national stockpile is expected to
reach the general population.
Okay. There aren't enough anti-virals in the world for everyone. So the big guys are using our tax dollars to save themselves.
But. Tamiflu doesn't work, and just might push our "key government decision-making officials" right over the edge. Where many are already precariously
(un)balanced.
So I'm wondering. Do we really want to let this happen?
Check this out too:
Bird Flu Vultures Lining Up
Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
NEWS: Report: Tamiflu "Useless" Against H5N1 Bird Flu
FDA clears Tamiflu 
