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250,000 courses of Tamiflu to be distributed
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will be allocating 250,000 courses of antiviral drug Tamiflu to be distributed amongst appointed local medical facilities across the island, in hopes of preventing hoarding, local media reported yesterday.
Chang Shan-chwen, the vice health minister who doubles as the deputy commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), explained that the medication will be allotted based on the size of population in each city and county to ensure even distribution.
The initiative, approved Friday night by health minister Yaung Chih-liang, was put forth to stabilize the market following recent spikes in Tamiflu demand that had set off disequilibrium of prices.
Steve Kuo, the director general of the CDC, said the agency is not furnishing clinics with the drugs at no cost.
Clinics will be required to pay NT$950 per box of Tamiflu, or the price as set by the Bureau of National Health Insurance, within three months, said Kuo.
The medication will also not be refundable, he added.
The payment and non-returnable policy is to prevent the stashing and over-prescription of antiviral treatment, the official was cited as saying.
He said the CDC has been in talks with Roche, the pharmaceutical company that markets Tamiflu, to increase procurement and has made much progress in negotiations.
The agency will not rule out a second nationwide distribution depending on future needs.
A list of appointed clinics with the drug will soon be posted on the DOH's Web site, Kuo said.
He added that this move will hopefully add three times the number of clinics equipped with the capabilities to treat the new flu strain.
Alleged Over-The-Counter Sales
According to local media, there have been reports of pharmacies in Taipei City illegally selling the antiviral drug Tamiflu, which requires a doctor's prescription.
Officials from the Department of Health under the Taipei City government were sent yesterday to look into the matter and separately found boxes of Tamiflu and a notebook detailing pre-orders from two pharmacies.
Pending further investigation, health official Jiang Yue-mei pointed out that if it is verified that the two pharmacies knowingly sold the medication over the counter without the requisite sign-off from a physician, then proprietors would be subject to fines between NT$30,000 to NT$150,000.
Jiang recommended anyone in Taipei City who develop flu-like symptoms to visit one of the 37 designated medical facilities to take a rapid influenza diagnostic test as well as to get a doctor's consultation.
CDC Director General Steve Kuo voiced the same sentiment, advising residents that the time otherwise used to look for rapid test and over-the-counter Tamiflu is better spent looking for a good doctor.
Local Vaccine Not Suitable for Infants
Kuo reiterated yesterday that A(H1N1) vaccines produced by local manufacturer Adimmune Corp. are not suitable for children under one year of age, adding that the CDC has been seeking out foreign vaccine manufacturers to purchase infant vaccines from them.
He said the agency hopes to close this loophole as soon as possible so as to provide inoculation to all demographics. But the country has not yet seen cases of the novel virus affecting children under one, Kuo noted, adding that the absence of a vaccine does not suggest ?the end of the world.?
He referred to the winter flu season currently taking place in nations in the southern hemisphere before saying there are other ways to battle the epidemic.
Kuo again urged the public not to panic so as to allow health officials to better do their job in epidemic control.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/n...00-courses.htm
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will be allocating 250,000 courses of antiviral drug Tamiflu to be distributed amongst appointed local medical facilities across the island, in hopes of preventing hoarding, local media reported yesterday.
Chang Shan-chwen, the vice health minister who doubles as the deputy commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), explained that the medication will be allotted based on the size of population in each city and county to ensure even distribution.
The initiative, approved Friday night by health minister Yaung Chih-liang, was put forth to stabilize the market following recent spikes in Tamiflu demand that had set off disequilibrium of prices.
Steve Kuo, the director general of the CDC, said the agency is not furnishing clinics with the drugs at no cost.
Clinics will be required to pay NT$950 per box of Tamiflu, or the price as set by the Bureau of National Health Insurance, within three months, said Kuo.
The medication will also not be refundable, he added.
The payment and non-returnable policy is to prevent the stashing and over-prescription of antiviral treatment, the official was cited as saying.
He said the CDC has been in talks with Roche, the pharmaceutical company that markets Tamiflu, to increase procurement and has made much progress in negotiations.
The agency will not rule out a second nationwide distribution depending on future needs.
A list of appointed clinics with the drug will soon be posted on the DOH's Web site, Kuo said.
He added that this move will hopefully add three times the number of clinics equipped with the capabilities to treat the new flu strain.
Alleged Over-The-Counter Sales
According to local media, there have been reports of pharmacies in Taipei City illegally selling the antiviral drug Tamiflu, which requires a doctor's prescription.
Officials from the Department of Health under the Taipei City government were sent yesterday to look into the matter and separately found boxes of Tamiflu and a notebook detailing pre-orders from two pharmacies.
Pending further investigation, health official Jiang Yue-mei pointed out that if it is verified that the two pharmacies knowingly sold the medication over the counter without the requisite sign-off from a physician, then proprietors would be subject to fines between NT$30,000 to NT$150,000.
Jiang recommended anyone in Taipei City who develop flu-like symptoms to visit one of the 37 designated medical facilities to take a rapid influenza diagnostic test as well as to get a doctor's consultation.
CDC Director General Steve Kuo voiced the same sentiment, advising residents that the time otherwise used to look for rapid test and over-the-counter Tamiflu is better spent looking for a good doctor.
Local Vaccine Not Suitable for Infants
Kuo reiterated yesterday that A(H1N1) vaccines produced by local manufacturer Adimmune Corp. are not suitable for children under one year of age, adding that the CDC has been seeking out foreign vaccine manufacturers to purchase infant vaccines from them.
He said the agency hopes to close this loophole as soon as possible so as to provide inoculation to all demographics. But the country has not yet seen cases of the novel virus affecting children under one, Kuo noted, adding that the absence of a vaccine does not suggest ?the end of the world.?
He referred to the winter flu season currently taking place in nations in the southern hemisphere before saying there are other ways to battle the epidemic.
Kuo again urged the public not to panic so as to allow health officials to better do their job in epidemic control.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/n...00-courses.htm