Sunday, September 25, 2005
Enough Tamiflu here to treat 430,000
So glad to learn today that Singapore is one of countries known to be stockpiling the medicine before an expected flu pandemic hits. According to the Ministry of Health, Singapore has enough Tamiflu to treat 430,000 people. And it is still buying more of the drug.
Tamiflu is one of the newer flu drugs that can be used both to treat flu patients and to prevent people from catching the flu. Although there are signs that Tamiflu may also be facing resistance, it is still the antiviral of choice for treating the flu.
Singapore is building up its stockpile and hopes to secure enough Tamiflu to treat 25 per cent of the population before a pandemic breaks out.
Singapore has committed a total of $100 million to prepare the country to deal with a flu pandemic. This includes arranging with the handful of big pharmaceutical companies that produce flu vaccines to be high on their list should they develop a vaccine against the pandemic.
And who supplies the bulk of Tamiflu in Singapore? GlaxoSmithKline.
Tamiflu is one of the newer flu drugs that can be used both to treat flu patients and to prevent people from catching the flu. Although there are signs that Tamiflu may also be facing resistance, it is still the antiviral of choice for treating the flu.
Singapore is building up its stockpile and hopes to secure enough Tamiflu to treat 25 per cent of the population before a pandemic breaks out.
Singapore has committed a total of $100 million to prepare the country to deal with a flu pandemic. This includes arranging with the handful of big pharmaceutical companies that produce flu vaccines to be high on their list should they develop a vaccine against the pandemic.
And who supplies the bulk of Tamiflu in Singapore? GlaxoSmithKline.
