Is Tamiflu a big scam?

Doctors query ability of Tamiflu to stop severe illness: Review published in British Medical Journal accuses flu drug manufacturer Roche of withholding evidence from trials


Roche, the manufacturer of Tamiflu, has made it impossible for scientists to assess how well the anti-flu drug stockpiled around the globe works by withholding the evidence the company has gained from trials, doctors alleged today .

A major review of what data there is in the public domain has found no evidence Tamiflu can prevent healthy people with flu from suffering complications such as pneumonia.

Tamiflu may shorten the bout of illness by a day or so, the investigators say, but it is impossible to know whether it prevents severe disease because the published data is insufficient. Roche has failed to make some of the studies carried out on the drug publicly available, the scientists say.

Interesting.

More ATS Tamiflu related threads for your enjoyment:

Tamiflu Maufacturing Predicted a 531% Sales Increase in 2009 !!

H1N1 Tamiflu vaccine have almost no effect

The True Epidemic Approaching: Mass Tamiflu Poisoning

Maybe the title of the thread should be " Would it surprise you if Tamiflu was a big scam?"
It wouldnt surprise me. Mainly because when a bunch of insanely rich people tell me something is "good" or "effective", i do my own research.

I have had the flu. It sucks. I have taken drugs, but only as a precaution, as i dont want fluid build up in my lungs. I certainly dont think Tamiflu is a wonder drug, but it's no surprise that the data presented, is inconclusive to it's claimed effectiveness.

They key phrase is "severe disease". Does Tamiflu treat your typical influenza adequately? Absolutely. Is it indicated for sever influenza concurrent with pulmonary edema or hemorrhaging pneumonia? Absolutely not.

We have therapies for deep-penetrating repiratory illnesses, Tamiflu isn't one of them, and yet some inexperienced doctors continue to use it as a first line defense. Even my classmates, all third year medical students, know that Tamiflu is essentially a stall once the case is that severe. You need intense anti-viral treatment and fluid intake, assuming it doesn't become a congestive or failure issue, as well.