October 25, 2005 -- FDA to Step Up Avian Flu Drug Production

The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today it has formed a “rapid response team” to make sure that antiviral drugs will be available in the event of a possible pandemic of avian influenza. The acting head of the FDA, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, said while there is currently no flu pandemic, the rapid response team will be working to ensure that an adequate supply of drugs such as Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) will be available should there be an outbreak in the United States. The antiviral drugs would be used to treat persons ill with avian influenza; they are not a vaccine and would not prevent the disease. Eschenbach said the FDA is working on vaccines, too, and hopes to step up vaccine manufacturing capacity, including new technologies for culturing vaccines. Meanwhile, the FDA is cautioning consumers to be cautious about buying so-called anti-avian-flu drugs on the internet, saying some sites “seek to prey on innocent people in a time of crisis.”

Public concern about the possibility of avian influenza may be causing a run on vaccine against regular flu in the current influenza season, with doctors reporting spot shortages of this year’s flu vaccine during the period ending October 24, when high-risk populations were supposed to have priority for shots. FDA officials have promised that vaccine supplies will be adequate this year, compared to last year, when severe shortages were caused by the loss of a major manufacturer. Public health officials have cautioned that a regular flu shot will probably not protect against avian influenza, but many people may be deciding that it could do no harm to have the regular shot, just in case.