March 2, 2006 -- HHS Steps Up Purchase of Flu Medication

Secretary Mike Leavitt reported today that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has just added 1.75 million treatment courses of the influenza antiviral drug zanamivir (Relenza) from GlaxoSmithKline and 12.4 million treatment courses of oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu) from Roche to the stockpile of drugs the government want to have on hand in the event of a flu pandemic. Stockpiling antiviral medicines is part of the federal government’s overall planning for a possible pandemic, Leavitt pointed out, which also includes research on developing new flu vaccines. The goal for the National Strategic Stockpile is to have enough antiviral medicine in stock to treat 25 percent of the U.S. population if a pandemic occurs.