If it quacks like a duck…
You have heard me more than once rattle my chains about the FDA consistently falling down on the job of protecting you and me.
It appears this isn’t a problem just in the United States.
Take Japan, for instance. There is a concern over the fact that Tamiflu has caused some problems—namely, fatal side effects. A promising alternative to flu vaccines has been the antiviral Tamiflu, which many have hoped would be effective should a pandemic of bird flu break out.
Last month, two people who took Tamiflu died. This ties in with the reports of “abnormal behavior” and “psychiatric problems” that some influenza patients experience after being dosed with Tamiflu. According to Japan’s Health Ministry, there have been 54 deaths linked so far with Tamiflu.
Meanwhile, Roche – the drug company that makes Tamiflu, has denied a link between the drug and the deaths. They say that the influenza could have caused the psychiatric problems.
Doesn’t that explanation sound just like it smells—like a load of something?
They insist that none of the fatal events that have taken place have any link to Tamiflu. But a victim’s rights group argues that’s not the case. Twelve children have died since 2005 and 32 have experienced abnormal behavior—all after taking Tamiflu. Some of these families were further devastated in their loss when a finding was released that said their children had “committed suicide.”
Chugai Pharmaceutical, which sells Tamiflu in Japan, added a mention about “abnormal behavior” to the packaging in 2004, but the victims’ groups want a much stronger warning.
A couple of months ago, the good ‘ol FDA decided to require our friends over at Roche to add a piece to the Tamiflu label that cautions the close monitoring of behavior for any “abnormality”, though they still stayed away from coming right out and saying there was a link to any possible problems.
The Japanese Health Ministry conducted a survey, and found no evidence of a link between Tamiflu and abnormal behavior. But it took a sharp doctor over there in Japan who doesn’t mind going against the grain to point out that there was an “abnormality” in interpreting the data, which would show the incidence of abnormal behavior would be four times higher, if you looked at those who took Tamiflu immediately following the dosing.
So the Health Ministry has responded by doing a more in-depth study and expects to release the results later this year.
Look, no one wants the bird flu, or any flu. It just comes back to the same argument: Give folks the right to make an informed decision by giving them all the facts. And if the fact is that a drug is killing people, quit pussy footing around and pull it off the market, whether it’s in the U.S., Japan or anywhere else.
For the flu in general, I always recommend a specially formulated black elderberry remedy called Sambucol. It’s from Nature’s Way, and I use it myself, because it’s well researched, safe, and inexpensive. And the best thing is, it usually works if you start it at the first signs of illness. Even better: Over many years of safe use, it has never been associated with abnormal behaviors or unexpected deaths!
