• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

In Japan, warning about giving Tamiflu to teens

Infection Control Monitor, March 23, 2007

A government health agency in Japan warned physicians on Wednesday against prescribing the flu-fighting drug Tamiflu to teenagers after several young patients reportedly exhibited dangerous behavior, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The Health Ministry issued emergency instructions Tuesday to a Japanese Tamiflu distributor to warn doctors not to give the drug to teenagers, a company official told the AP on condition of anonymity. The distributor began issuing warnings to physicians, hospitals, and pharmacies across Japan on Wednesday, the official said.

According to the Japanese Health Ministry, 54 people have died after taking Tamiflu, the drug governments around the world have stockpiled for use against avian flu, since the drug was approved for use in Japan in 2000, reported Time magazine.

The Swiss manufacturer of the drug, however, questioned the action of the Japanese government and told the AP there is no causal relationship between Tamiflu and the problems. Concerns about the drug rose in Japan after two separate incidents in which 14-year-olds fell to their deaths from their high-rise apartment buildings last month while taking the drug. Tamiflu, one of the few drugs believed to be effective in treating bird flu, is widely used in Japan to treat influenza.

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive