Abnormal behavior may be linked to flu drug (TAMIFLU): 3 children dead

[elehhhhna]

Nov. 13, 2006, 2:03PM
Abnormal behavior may be linked to flu drug
BY ANDREW BRIDGES
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Doctors and parents should watch for signs of bizarre behavior in children treated with the flu drug Tamiflu, federal health officials suggested today in citing an increasing number of such cases from overseas.

Food and Drug Administration officials still don't know if the more than 100 new cases, including three deaths from falls, are linked to the drug or to the flu virus — or a combination of both. Most of the reported cases involved children.

Still, FDA staff suggested updating Tamiflu's label to recommend that all patients, especially children, be closely monitored while on the drug. They also acknowledged that stopping treatment with Tamiflu could actually harm influenza patients if the virus is the cause of delirium, hallucinations and other abnormal behavior, such as aggression and suicidal thoughts.

The meeting comes a year after the same panel of outside experts rejected linking Tamiflu to reports of 12 deaths in Japanese children since 2000 and voted against changing the drug's label to suggest any such concern. At that time, however, the committee did recommend that the FDA continue to monitor the drug's safety and return a year later with an update.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4331149.html

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. Sounds just like the kind of drug the Junta would invest in n/t

[valerief]

2. Oh, boy, a new recreational drug for teenagers. nt

[mzteris]

3. isn't Rumsfeld tied to Tamiflu? n/t