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| Doctor: Tamiflu useless against avian flu in her patients | |
| 2005-12-04 | |
| A VIETNAMESE doctor who has treated dozens of victims of avian flu claims the drug being stockpiled around the world to combat a pandemic is âuselessâ against the virus. Dr Nguyen Tuong Van runs the intensive care unit at the Centre for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi and has treated 41 victims of H5N1. Van followed World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines and gave her patients Tamiflu, but concluded it had no effect. âWe place no importance on using this drug on our patients,â she said. âTamiflu is really only meant for treating ordinary type A flu. It was not designed to combat H5N1 . . . [Tamiflu] is useless.â
Van, who has also treated patients with Sars, the respiratory condition linked to birds, said avian flu had a frightening effect on its victims and the only way to keep patients alive was to âsupportâ all their vital organs, including the liver and kidneys, with modern technology like ventilators and dialysis machines. Van would not criticise governments for stockpiling Tamiflu but said doctors had to explain its limitations. Roche has sold stockpiles of Tamiflu to 40 countries and insists there is clear evidence it will protect against a future flu virus. However, it stresses the drug must be given within 48 hours to be effective. The WHO admitted Tamiflu had not been âwidely successful in human patientsâ. âHowever, we believe in many Asian countries it hasnât been used until late in the illness,â a spokesman said. A Department of Health spokesman said: âWhile there is some anecdotal evidence of the build-up of resistance to antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu, at present the experience is that these drugs do work.â | |
| Posted by:lotp |