Businesses have an opportunity to purchase Tamiflu. This could be part of a business continuity of operations plan.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080626/ap_on_he_me/stockpiling_tamiflu
Reserving Tamiflu for workers in case of pandemic
By LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press (AP) – Jun 26, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fears of bird flu are receding and sales of the anti-flu drug Tamiflu have slumped. Now its maker is offering a deal to U.S. employers: Pay an annual fee and reserve enough to protect every worker if a new super-flu strikes.
The plan announced Thursday comes as the federal government also begins a new effort to encourage many businesses to stockpile anti-flu drugs in case of a pandemic. Those private stockpiles would supplement a national stockpile that contains enough doses to treat only a fraction of the population.
But stockpiling is a big upfront investment for a threat that may never arrive — and requires replacing supplies whenever drug doses expire. Roche Holding AG says its new plan would remove some of those barriers for companies otherwise interested in Tamiflu.
The U.S. government, in an unusual move, congratulated Roche on the program and helped to publicize it.
“We applaud them,” said Tevi Troy, deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which directs the nation’s pandemic flu preparations. “Preparedness is a shared responsibility that extends across all levels of government and all levels of society.”
Pandemics can strike when the easy-to-mutate flu virus shifts to a strain that people have never experienced. There is concern that the Asian bird flu known as H5N1 might trigger one if it acquires the ability to spread easily from person to person.
It would take months to custom-brew a vaccine against a new super-flu. So the government has stockpiled enough antiviral drugs, mostly Tamiflu, to treat 50 million people, and is urging states to purchase enough for 31 million more.
The antiviral drugs also can be used to prevent infection before a vaccine arrives. Until recently, federal health officials didn’t recommend employer stockpiling for fear that there wasn’t enough Tamiflu being produced to satisfy global demand during regular flu seasons, and to build up the pandemic stockpiles of the U.S. and other governments.
But Roche increased global production 15-fold — and U.S. guidelines proposed earlier this month not only say that employer stockpiling is feasible, but encourage businesses to set aside enough antiviral drugs to help their workers ward off infection and stay on the job.
“Businesses that provide goods or services essential to community health, safety, or well-being have an obligation to plan and prepare for continued operations in the event of a pandemic,” say the guidelines.
Roche already has sold varying amounts of Tamiflu to more than 300 U.S. businesses, said George Abercrombie, chief executive of Hoffman-La Roche Inc., the company’s U.S. arm.
Under the new program, others companies could reserve Tamiflu instead of buying and storing it themselves. They would pay a yearly fee of $6 for every 10 capsules to be set aside in Roche storage and delivered within 48 hours of demand.
Upon delivery, companies would pay the going wholesale price, currently $74 per 10-pack. If a pandemic had begun, the price conceivably could spike. But Abercrombie rejected that as “a bit of a cynical view,” adding, “that is not the way our company operates.”
Why 10 capsules? That’s the dose to treat a single ill person. To prevent infection requires a capsule a day as long as someone is potentially exposed to the virus.
In estimating how much to reserve, participating companies would have to decide how many employees they wish to cover, for either treatment or prevention — and if they’ll also provide Tamiflu to workers’ families. Roche has said the program requires a minimum order of 2,500 10-capsule packs, but Abercrombie said he was willing to work with smaller companies.
“This will encourage a lot of businesses that were on the fence,” said Ann Beauchesne of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is working with companies and the federal government on corporate pandemic preparations.
In January, Roche announced that sales of Tamiflu had dropped 19 percent to $1.92 billion, as government stockpiling in wake of bird-flu fears eased. Abercrombie said Thursday that production has been scaled back because of abundant supply — governments around the world had ordered 215 million courses of therapy out of 400 million available — but could ramp up again if necessary
July 25, 2008 at 1:51 pm |
Our pharmacist at ISU has contacted Roche. Understand that that is a non-refundable reservation fee and is not applicable to your order when you do order. It was our understanding that it is put in your name though and kept updated and is supposed to only go to us. It was also our understanding that the med was good for 5 years and 2 of those years is already gone. If it outdates then you have lost all that money. On a fixed income as we are-that hurts. Pardon my cynicism but I wonder about that if the gov’t said I want all you have and they are willing to pay more than the $74 quoted. I have 22 employees and I figure it would cost us approximately $26K to purchase plus $15K to reserve and we are in an era of having to cut funds. Now I admit we have used the figures quoted of 10 day packs times 6 weeks for each wave times 4 waves thus the figure above. Admittedly perhaps that could be less depending on how our attack rate goes. Also it is an interesting question to which I do not have the answer and that is: Is the protection only good for while you are taking the med or does it extend beyond that, thus perhaps requiring less packs to take. Still pricey no matter how you cut it.
I also raised the question about treating the “essential staff” on campus which could then put us well over $100K. Also, we found out that an amount that large requires approval by the financial dept and that certainly would have to be in advance, not at just in time.
July 26, 2008 at 11:47 am |
Mike,
You jumpt right to what I have heard. Tamiflu has an expiration date and alot of places are on a fixed budget.
Providing Tamiflu to families is helpful.
Some people have already gotten tamiflu.
Tamiflu is there to help but is not a cure. Both those who survived and those who died from H5N1 where given Tamiflu. – can not find source
Tamiflu must be given early on. – can not find source
Tamiflu wears off. Anotehr round may be needed – no source
There where also reports from Japan that tamiflu leds to suicide in teenagers. Tamiflu is prescribed alot in Japan. Those claims have been debunked but people would like re-assurance.
One problem with tamiflu is getting a doctor to prescribe it before hand. There are people who would pay the co-pay.
Note business only need give Tamiflu to their employees. That sounds stupid but remeber the business that plan, yes plan, to close. Do they need to give anyone (other than the head cheese) Tamiflu? Business that decide to call it quits for the duration also do not have to provide Tamiflu nor pandemic training.
This starts to open up an exposed group. Teenagers who need protection but can not get it. I am thinking heard immunity. Tamiflu is given to the well to keep them well. This is an *unsupported* theory of mine.
Once again – Unlike Y2K we do not know the time nor the place.
Regards,
Kobie
“So much worth living for, a few things worth dying for, very little worth killing over” – Pat Benatar.