Sales sky high as people buy Tamiflu online

People worldwide have flooded health websites such as NHS Direct looking to buy Tamiflu online. Since the outbreak from Swine Flu in Mexico City, health websites and online pharmaceuticals have been inundated with requests for the drug Tamiflu which is the primary treatment for Swine Flu.

Oseltamivir (INN), more commonly known as Tamiflu is an antiviral drug that is used in the treatment and prophylaxis of both Influenzavirus A and Influenzavirus B infections. Since the Avaian flu threat in 2005, stock piles of the drug have increased dramatically worldwide. The UK has enough Tamiflu stock piled to treat over half of the population some 30 million people.

Like zanamivir, Tamiflu is a neuraminidase inhibitor. It acts as a transition-state analogue inhibitor of influenza neuraminidase, preventing progeny virions from emerging from infected cells. Tamiflu was developed by US-based Gilead Sciences and is now marketed by Hoffmann-La Roche (Roche) under the trade name Tamiflu. In Japan, Tamiflu is marketed by Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., which is also partly owned by Roche. Oseltamivir is generally available by prescription only but online websites have started selling the drug since the Swine Flu threat.

Stockpiling of the drug has become commonplace since the Avian flu threat. Local government agencies have strongly discouraged the stock piling of Tamiflu which harms production and distribution in the event of a pandemic. People who suspect infection from Swine Flu are being advised to stay away from medical centers and hospitals and should instead phone their local doctor for guidance and information.

How is Tamiflu taken?

Tamiflu is only advised for people at least 12 months old for the treatment of influenza A and B viruses. The usual adult dosage for treatment of influenza is 75 mg twice daily for 5 days, beginning within 2 days of the appearance of symptoms and with decreased doses for children and patients with renal impairment. Tamiflu may be given as a preventive measure either during a community outbreak or following close contact with an infected individual.

Standard prophylactic dosage is 75 mg once daily for patients aged 13 and older, which has been shown to be safe and effective for up to six weeks. The importance of early treatment is that the NA protein inhibition is more effective within the first 48 hours. If the virus has replicated and infected many cells the effectiveness of this medication will be severely diminished, especially over time.