Tamiflu news from FierceHealthcare

> Hoping to get another shot at collecting their money, hospitals are auctioning off patient debt via online auctions. Read more...

If Roche has its way, a gaggle of happy penguins will charm consumers into stocking up on flu drug Tamiflu. Using penguin characters from a current children's feature as a theme, Roche Pharmaceuticals has developed a multi-million dollar ad campaign to create demand for the costly medication. Tamiflu, which has attracted international attention as a possible stopgap in the war against …

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> The Financial Times reports that the heads of GM, Ford and Chrysler have been unsuccessfully attempting to arrange a meeting with President Bush since before the last election. Article

> FierceHealthcare editor Matthew Holt was at the fabled PARC Research Center last week to deliver a talk on "Healthcare, IT and why your doc may be stuck in the 90s...the 1890s."  …

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The World Health Organization said that a cluster of bird flu deaths in the village of Kabu Sebalang on the Indonesian island of Sumatra is a potentially seminal event. The Associated Press quotes WHO spokesman Peter Cordingsly, who alarmingly calls the six deaths "the mother of all clusters." Cordingsly state, "This is the first time that we've been completely stumped about possible single-source infection."

International health experts suspect that H5N1, the virus that …

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 Bush administration orders antiviral drugs
The Department of Health and Human Services has ordered 14 million doses of antiviral drugs to treat victims in the event of a pandemic flu. The agency said yesterday that it has placed orders for 12.4 million doses of Tamiflu and 1.75 million doses of Relenza. The purchase will add to the existing stockpile of 5.5 million doses. The announcement drew criticism from Democrats in Washington, who say the government isn't acting quickly enough. Article

A new study raises doubts about the effectiveness of major flu drugs, particularly those being stockpiled to fight an avian flu outbreak. The report, which appears in the British medical journal The Lancet today, argues that the older generation of influenza drugs (rimantadine and amantadine) has largely lost its effectiveness. Lead author Dr. Tom Jefferson warns that newer drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza are likely to become less useful if they are used to fight seasonal …

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> The Associated Press reports from Turkey that efforts to control the spread of avian flu in the country appear dangerously inept. Article

> On the other hand, there are encouraging signs as well. The WHO thinks one reason the fatality rate seems to be lower is that patients are being given Tamiflu.  …

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A study in the New England Journal of Medicine warns that Tamiflu, the drug many governments and organizations are stockpiling to guard against a possible avian flu pandemic, may not work as well as some have predicted. The study, which was led by Oxford's Dr. Menno de Jong, looks at the case of two Vietnamese girls who died of the virus despite receiving the recommended dose of the antiviral. The finding also appears to throw into question suggestions that it might be possible …

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Following reports of adverse events possibly related to Tamiflu, the Japanese Health Ministry said it will release information about the safety of prescription drugs. Starting in January, the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency will publish detailed data on all of the reports it receives on adverse events caused by prescription drugs and medical devices on a Web site. The agency already publishes limited data on some events. Assuming the plan goes forward, the reporting initiative …

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According to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, the US does not have the production capacity to make enough flu vaccine to guard against a pandemic. Leavitt, together with the CDC's Dr. Julie Gerberding, the NIH's Dr. Anthony Fauci and the WHO's Dr. Michael Ryan, appeared on NBC's Meet the Press to discuss the influenza threat. Leavitt cautioned that it will be at least three years before the US has the ability to protect its entire population.

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