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http://www.denverpost.com/frontpage/ci_3133273

Online sales of flu drugs soar
Trend likely linked to fears of pandemic. Health officials deplore hoarding of antiviral drugs because it reduces supplies needed by the public.
By Katy Human
Denver Post Staff Writer

Stockpiles of the flu-fighting drug Tamiflu are shown Wednesday at an undisclosed location in Great Britain. The U.S. government also is amassing Tamiflu, other antiviral drugs and flu vaccines in case a pandemic strikes the nation. (AP / Chris Radburn)

Internet sales of antiviral drugs at some online pharmacies are up by 1,000 percent or more this year, and health officials, who suspect the trend is related to fear of a flu pandemic, are calling the practice of hoarding both unethical and dangerous.

Private U.S. citizens, including many in Colorado, are purchasing huge amounts of antiviral drugs online, according to several pharmacies.

"We are strongly discouraging this," said Ned Calonge, Colorado's chief medical officer.

"This behavior ... has the potential to reduce supplies that are available for seasonal flu," said Bill Hall, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Tests have shown that both Tamiflu and Relenza can disable the H5N1 strain of bird flu that has killed about 60 people in Asia this fall.

But buying the drugs and tucking them into a drawer in case a pandemic strikes is a bad idea for personal and public- health reasons, health officials said.

Viruses often develop resistance to drugs, experts said. Moreover, antivirals, especially Tamiflu, are in short supply this year, Hall said, and they're needed for the regular flu season. The sole manufacturer, Switzerland's Roche Holding AG, has announced it will build a plant in the United States.

"Their production capacity clearly can't meet demand," Hall said.

Online, demand by individuals is skyrocketing.

"It's crazy," said Mark Catroppa, a vice president with CanadaMedicineShop.com in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company has about 175,000 U.S. customers.

Last year, his company sold no more than 10 doses of Tamiflu or Relenza in any month, with no orders from Colorado, Catroppa said. During the past two weeks, about 400 people a day ordered the drugs, with deliveries to Colorado representing 7 percent of sales, he said.

Drugstore.com, based in Bellevue, Wash., declined to disclose actual sales amounts but reported a huge spike of Tamiflu orders this month. "Demand is well over a 1,000 percent increase over last year," said spokesman Greg French.

People ordering the drugs preventively should be aware that they may not be effective against a flu strain that does become pandemic, said Dave Daigle, spokesman for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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