Tamiflu found ineffective in bird flu treatment

[Celebration]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051221/tamiflu_drug_051221/20051221?hub=CTVNewsAt11

The drug most of the world is counting on to prevent an avian flu pandemic may not be a failsafe defence, according to a New England Journal of Medicine report.

The authors say they have found evidence the H5N1 virus can mutate into a form unaffected by Tamiflu -- rendering the world's ever-growing stockpiles of the drug ineffective if the mutated strain were to spread.

According to the study, completed by Dr. Menno de Jong at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, four out of eight avian flu patients who were given the medication died despite the treatment.

This has many health care experts worried, since many predict bird flu will be the world's next major pandemic.

[Fridays Child]

1. Scary but not definitive...

We have no idea if this was a well-controlled study. For example, how was the medicine administered and under what level of official supervision?

Still...worth watching.

[tavalon]

2. Yep

I posted on this a couple of weeks ago. But, it is possible that if it mutates a certain way, Tamiflu could be somewhat effective but will probably have to be used in higher doses and for a longer time than it is used for the regular flu.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. wrong wrong wrong wrong! W R O N G ! ! !

Tamiflu is the only cure that works (even though every test shows the mortality rate of users to be higher than nonusers - in Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Indonesia)
Tamiflu is the only cure approved of by the FDA (even though its efficacy has never been tested in a proper clinical study in the US)

Tamiflu is the only drug that everyone needs to stockpile. (at least until Don Rumsfeld manages to take advantage of his stock options, then sell his vast holdings of stock once the truth about the crappie drug comes to forefront)

[Kagemusha]

4. UGH

For Christ's sake, from the very beginning reputable scientists were saying this is NOT a fail-safe, NOT a panacea, just the only drug that MIGHT work. I don't know where people got this idea that someone can be critically ill and you can provide Tamiflu and it'll wipe the virus out. That's NOT the claim that was made at the start of this hysteria. Or put more bluntly, it's not a claim the manufacturer ever made.

That's why posts like yours just make me hit the roof... and I'm not saying it's your fault but, using any drug contrary to the manufacturer's recommendations ought not be taken as certain proof that it's a guaranteed failure if it IS used according to those recommendations.

And what other drug would be stockpiled instead by the way? Oh that's right.. there aren't any. Put your head between your knees then. That's the more cost effective solution.

Edit: And no way, no how, did the FDA certify this as a CURE.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. absolutely true - but think back to

Chertoff,
Bush
Rice
and even
Karen Hughes

all promoting tamiflu as THE cure.

Much like they promoted the invasion of Iraq. The symmetry is scary. And Rummie does own millions of shares, with stock options of millions more.

[Celebration]

6. then why are we stockpiling it?

if it only MIGHT work. It seems to me that the only evidence that we have right now is that it doesn't work. I have no objection to them testing it at higher doses. My mother in law once had me research devices that would kill mosquitoes. I finally determined that none would work for the particular mosquitoes in our area. She almost went out and bought a device anyway because it was on sale and because she seemed desperate about mosquitoes. I said, "Would you rather have mosquitoes and no device, or mosquitoes with a device that doesn't work that you spent $69.99 for?" Everyone here talks about the placebo effect and how strong it is. Maybe we should stockpile placebo drugs???