Roche criticized for marketing tamiful to bussines

Roche criticized for marketing Tamiflu to businesses
Jul 25, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – Pharmaceutical maker Roche has drawn sharp criticism for promoting the sale of its antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) to businesses while governments stockpiling the drug for defense against a possible flu pandemic wait to receive their own supplies, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

In releasing a pandemic planning guide for US businesses last week, the Swiss-based company said that "close to 60" companies had ordered Tamiflu in quantities ranging up to hundreds of thousands of treatment courses. The firm said its planning "Toolkit" provides guidance on how to buy and distribute the drug. Though government policies discourage personal stockpiling, the guide suggests that businesses can give Tamiflu to employees for storage at home.

In a story published Jul 23, the Chronicle quoted several medical and policy experts who criticized Roche's action, asserting that government orders for Tamiflu should come first.

"I think it is socially irresponsible," said Dr. Brian Johnston, a Los Angeles emergency physician and trustee of the California Medical Association, according to the story.

James Love, director of the Consumer Project on Technology, said he believes that Roche is giving corporations priority over governments because the corporations pay much more for the drug.

Businesses pay $61 per treatment course, a pack of 10 pills, while wealthy countries pay $19 and poor countries pay slightly less, according to the Chronicle.

The federal government has a stated goal of stockpiling enough antiviral drugs to treat 81 million people, or about 25% of the population, by 2008. But that includes a projected 31 million courses in state stockpiles, with the states paying 75% of the cost.

So far the federal stockpile contains 6.2 million treatment courses, with a total of 21.6 million expected by December, the newspaper reported, quoting federal officials.

Roche officials maintained that the criticism of the marketing program is unjustified, because the company has succeeded in boosting production sufficiently to assure that there will be enough Tamiflu for all customers, the story said.

The firm has made deals with 15 subcontractors to handle various parts of the production process. This will boost production capacity to 400 million treatment courses by the end of this year, the report said. Roche spokesman Terry Hurley in Nutley, N.J., told the newspaper the company currently has orders for "about half of that."

"Corporate orders are being filled within days," Hurley said. "Roche has ensured sufficient supply of Tamfilu to fill government orders, and there is adequate supply of Tamiflu to meet season demand."

Roche officials also defended their marketing effort as merely a way to help businesses protect their workers and to ensure that businesses can survive and help countries weather the pandemic, according to the Chronicle.

Holly Babin, a spokeswoman for the US Department of Health and Human Services, told the newspaper that federal policy does not specifically address whether corporations should buy their own Tamiflu supplies. But she said HHS still recommends against personal stockpiling of the drug.

OH I AM SO MAD.  How dare anyone criticize Roche for marketing to businesses.  I don't see a mad rush by our states to stockpile Tamiflu even though they have it available to them.  Why, in Colorado we are only purchasing some 6,000 courses of it.  If I was Roche and I knew the people needed it and the feds weren't going to help a lot, and the states seem to be thumbing their noses at it I would get it to the businesses which have been told to prepare.

It sounds like you agree with me not disagree. I didn't say that Dunkin Doughnuts should go buy it.  I agree businesses such as utilities, transportation, banking etc. should be able to buy it on their own if they want to.  Some of these businesses may already know that their states don't have any solid plans to help them with the purchases.  I think it is prudent to get it for certain businesses even if you have to get it on your own and pay more.  I'd like to see a list of those businesses trying to get it on their own and why they feel they might not be able to rely on the state.

   I agree cabinlass,
       
My state has agreed to purchas for 10% of our population here on their own, then with the additional 25% from the goverment kicking in bucks, they will stock pile all of it. Any idea the population in Ca? approx. 36,132,147, now if you buy for 35% that is 10,839,644 leaving 25,292,503 ! no wonder other business are buying it   geezzzzz leaves enough people in my state without it to fill a couple BIG BIG cities! and they say we are prepared here,(whatever) hope who ever holds the key to the stock pile closet doesnt take ill ..haha little smart joke there I understand some states have not even commited and the dead line is near !! eeek and psst why not dunkin donuts I love them? wink