Approved by US FDA in 1999 & EMA in 2002, Oseltamivir is administered for the treatment of uncomplicated influenza within 48 h of the onset of symptoms. THE SEQUENCE OF MISSING FRAMES The manufacturer’s press release stated that the drug was studies in 2 randomized trials enrolling a total of 849 patients with influenza and reported a 1.4 day mean reduction in the duration of symptoms. The drug was safe, with less than 1% of patients discontinuing it because of adverse effects.
On the basis of these limited (and ultimately revealed as incomplete) data, governments acted. Stockpiling because of outbreak concerns Concerned about a possible outbreak of avian influenza, as well as the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, the UK government stockpiled oseltamivir at a cost of over £600m (€680m; $770m) from 2006 to 2014. Similarly, the US government has spent over $1.5bn stockpiling the drug, based on…
