Authorities urge caution over Tamiflu fears
The World Today - Tuesday, 21 April , 2009 12:42:00
Reporter: Oscar McLaren
PETER CAVE: Medical researchers in Japan have released a study which suggests that the anti-flu drug Tamiflu may not be the saviour that it’s been painted. They say that it increases what’s referred to as ‘abnormal behaviour’ in young people who take the drug.
Tamiflu is used to treat various types of influenza and governments around the world have amassed enormous stockpiles of it just in case of a pandemic of bird flu.
For now though, the only country which sees Tamiflu prescribed on a regular basis for the flu is Japan, where there have been reports of children going so far as trying to jump from balconies after taking the drug over there.
But the World Health Organisation says the findings of the latest study are far from conclusive and there needs to be more research into the area.
Oscar McLaren filed this report.
OSCAR MCLAREN: The Australian Government is among many worldwide which have built up stockpiles of the drug Tamiflu, in case of a bird flu pandemic.
But researchers in Japan say they’ve found a statistical link between use of the drug and unusual behaviour in young people.
They refer to cases of children trying to jump off balconies and of hopping on one foot.
But Julie Hall, who works for the World Health Organisation in the Western Pacific region, says most symptoms are mild.
JULIE HALL: The majority of young people who are taking Tamiflu had just slightly unusual behaviour, in that they were expressing or describing things in a slightly unusual way.
The research looked at a range of different behaviours, and the vast majority were really quite mild things that may be associated with feeling unwell and having a fever anyways.
OSCAR MCLAREN: She says the findings are only based on statistics, and no direct link has been proven.
JULIE HALL: The findings that have come out so far are not conclusive, and they’re not those that you read the findings, and think ‘Goodness me, there really is an urgent issue here’.
However, it is clearly an important issue to look at, because it may be that if indeed certain groups react differently to this drug, then in the event of a pandemic, different guidelines will be needed for different types of individuals.
OSCAR MCLAREN: Influenza researchers say problems with Tamiflu have only really been encountered in Japan.
Ian Barr from the Influenza Centre in Melbourne says more research is needed to understand why.
IAN BARR: So, you know, whether it’s something to do with Japan using more of this drug than any other country in the world or whether there is something peculiar of some genetic basis for this that may affect the Japanese population more predominantly than other populations, I think remains to be seen.
OSCAR MCLAREN: And he says the correlation found in this study could be little more than statistical noise.
IAN BARR: The thing which has also been raised is that many of the side-effects of the actual influenza disease can mimic some of these neuropsychiatric events.
So, teasing apart whether it’s the drug causing some of these neuropsychiatric events or whether it’s the effects of influenza, which can cause raised temperatures and may have some of these similar sorts of side effects, is quite difficult to do.
OSCAR MCLAREN: The findings in this study are limited to people under the age of 19.
But all sides of this debate agree that there’s a real need for more research about the drug.
PETER CAVE: And that report from Oscar McLaren.
People treated for bird flu hop on one foot and jump off balconies.
Things that make you go hmmmm...
People with the flu, particularly children and adolescents, may be at an increased risk of self injury and confusion shortly after taking TAMIFLU and should be closely monitored for signs of unusual behavior. A healthcare professional should be contacted immediately if the patient taking TAMIFLU shows any signs of unusual behavior. The most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. From the manufacturer's site....