Wednesday, January 25, 2012

More data needed on tamiflu: journal

Some health experts are calling into question the safety and effectiveness of the widely used anti-flu drug Tamiflu, which the World Health Organization calls an “essential medicine.”
The British Medical Journal said it is still waiting for manufacturer Roche to release its clinical trial data for review, two years after it promised to do so.

“Roche’s refusal to provide full access to all its data leaves critical questions about how well the drug works unresolved,” said a report by the Cochrane Collaboration, a non-profit organization that reviews health-care research.

Cochrane researchers set out to test Roche’s claims that Tamiflu prevents complications from flu and reduces the number of people needing hospital treatment. They say they found inconsistencies in some published reports and possible under-reporting of side-effects, but they can’t conduct a complete analysis until the drug maker provides all of its data, the BMJ said in a statement Tuesday.

Based on its evaluation so far, Cochrane questions Tamiflu’s effectiveness and says its ability to prevent the spread of flu has not been demonstrated.
Tamiflu is the drug many governmentsaroundtheworld, including Canada’s, have stockpiled in case of a flu pandemic. More

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