Side effect of the finacial crisis?

I always thought that the media was trying to scare people with all that talk about flu and bird flu. This year they were occupied with the financial crisis, so there was no talk about flu.

Could that have been the reason for the lost sales of Tamiflu?

Sales at the flagship pharmaceutical unit suffered from the fall in Tamiflu revenue. The drug had seen healthy sales in earlier years when governments bought in bulk to stockpile to be prepared for the possible outbreak of an influenza pandemic. The franc's appreciation against the dollar and the euro further dented sales.

Excluding Tamiflu and expressed in the currencies of where the drugs were sold, pharmaceuticals sales grew 10% last year.

Source

If it is a coincidence it's a curious one, at least, but I think it's more than a coincidence.

reply to post by ArMaP


Good find. It is a rather odd.
post

I think sales in general are reflecting the economic downturn. People are probably focusing more on the basics and necessities (like food, housing, childcare). I know I have certainly cut out a few luxuries, including a multivitamin I used to take -- and I'm still healthy with that money left in my pocket. If things get better I might reconsider taking it again, as well as going out to eat a few more times a month, going to see a few more movies every year, etc.

Rather than being fearful of things that might happen (bird flu), I think people are focusing on things that are happening (job loss, lower income).

***
Funny, I just typed this, and there's a new thread on vitamin usage:

Major studies question value of vitamin supplements

synchronicity comes in all forms

[edit on 17/2/09 by Evasius]

reply to post by Evasius


It's true, but I wonder how much does big pharmaceutical companies rely on the free publicity they get from the media.