Call for oseltamivir to be made available over the counter
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is wasted by being restricted to supply on prescription, a retired Australian virologist has said.
Speaking after a presentation at the Royal Institution’s science
media centre, Graeme Laver, former professor of biochemistry at the Australian
National University told The Journal this week that Tamiflu should be
available over the counter.
“At the moment, people are not getting any benefit from the drug,” he
said. “Neither the British nor the Australian government will give
any reason why it should not be available.” Dr Laver said that
Tamiflu was effective if taken within six to 12 hours of influenza infection.
He advocated the use of rapid saliva tests that are becoming increasingly
reliable as a means of diagnosing infection. “They give few false
positives,” he said, “and you can’t develop resistance
from inappropriate use [of Tamiflu].”
He added that the drug would remain effective in any flu pandemic, since
any resistance arising from OTC use would be restricted to seasonal viruses.
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