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Tamiflu Needs to be Made Available at Local Pharmacies

by Rajashri on Aug 24 2009 11:31 PM

Mumbai doctors feel that it is high time for the government to allow oseltamivir (brand name Tamiflu) to be available at local pharmacies.

With the swine flu pandemic gaining strength in the country, the doctors feel the population will be helped if the drug is made widely available and not restricted to civic hospitals alone. Additional chief secretary (health) Sharvaree Gokhale told reportes that the Center had rejected a plea for changing the way the drug is distributed in the state.

"In the US, the UK and other countries, it is available at chemist shops against a medical prescription,'' said Dr Pratibha Kulkarni, a Houston-based doctor.

However the Center is cautious about general issue of Tamiflu because the side-effects of overuse include nausea, vomiting and confusion.


Source-Medindia
RAS


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