[Mb-civic] funny, this was not in our papers!

[IHHS at aol.com]

Subject: OT:  Two deaths linked to Tamiflu

Sydney Morning  Herald
Two deaths linked to Tamiflu: reports
Email Print Normal font Large  font November 14, 2005

Japan's Health Ministry has warned the anti-flu  drug Tamiflu
can induce strange behaviour leading to accidental death  following the
deaths of two teenagers who took the medicine, news reports  said today.

One 17-year-old Japanese high school student jumped in front  of a truck in
February 2004 shortly after taking the medicine, while another  younger
school student is believed to have fallen from the ninth floor of  his
apartment building this February, the Mainichi newspaper and Kyodo  News
agency reported.

The drug's Japanese distributor, Chugai  Pharmaceutical, issued a report to
the health ministry after the first  incident saying a link between taking
the drug and the odd behaviour that led  to the death cannot be ruled out,
the Mainichi said.

The ministry is  aware of one of the cases and is warning that taking the
drug may lead to  abnormal behaviour and accidental death, Kyodo News agency
said, citing an  unidentified ministry official.

While Tamiflu carries a label in Japan  warning of such side effects as
"abnormal behaviour" and "hallucinations",  the cases are the country's
first in which strange behaviour linked to the  drug has resulted in deaths,
the Mainichi said.

Comment was being  sought from Health Ministry officials.

The two people who died had taken  Tamiflu to treat cases of influenza and
neither exhibited psychological  problems before taking the medicine, the
Mainichi newspaper  reported.

The Japanese Government announced plans earlier this month to  increase its
stockpile of Tamiflu to 250 million capsules, from 150 million,  over the
next five years in a precautionary measure against a global flu  pandemic.

Tamiflu is one of the few drugs believed effective in treating  bird flu,
which has spread from Asia to Europe. Japan hasn't reported any  infections
in humans by the H5N1 virus, which has killed at least 64 people  in Asia
since December 2003.

Most human cases of bird flu have been  traced to direct contact with sick
birds, but health officials fear the H5N1  virus could mutate into a form
that passes easily between people, possibly  triggering a deadly  pandemic.


http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/tw...1578267948.html  


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