Tamiflu stockpile costly but crucial

11 Jun 2007, The Straits Times

Question

Name of the Person: Maria Loh Mun Foong (Ms)

Tamiflu stockpilling

June 6, 2007

Not the end of Tamiflu stockpiling

MORE than three years ago, I obtained a dose of Tamiflu for $50 as a precautionary measure against the winter flu outbreak in the US which I visited. Fortunately, I did not have to use the Tamiflu, which has since expired - expiry is three years from the date of manufacture.

Therefore, I am not convinced that Singapore has completed the stockpiling of Tamiflu. With a three-year time limit on its usage, doesn't this mean that Singapore would have to continue stockpiling the drug for every rolling three-year period? Given that we now have 1.05 million doses, does this mean that we would have to incur more than $50 million every three years, just to maintain a viable stockpile?

Name of the Person: Danny Chua Hock Chye

June 8, 2007

How will bird-flu drugs be allocated?

THE report, 'S'pore stocked up on bird flu drugs' (ST, June 4), stated that Singapore has enough Tamiflu and Relenza to treat 25 per cent of the population in the event of a pandemic.

Who decides which 25 per cent of the population will get the drugs and how will it be decided?

In New Zealand, because of the Freedom of Information Act, the priority list is easily available. Those on the list include bird-flu patients and their immediate family members, medical professionals, ministers, teachers and those in the essential and critical services, such as the armed forces, police and Customs and immigration.

In a pandemic, will private GPs make the drugs available to their very important patients or needy bird-flu patients, or will they provide them to the highest bidder?

Reply

Reply from MOH 

In “Not the end of Tamiflu stockpiling” (ST, 6 June) Ms Maria Loh asked how we manage our Tamiflu stockpile given its limited shelf-life. Separately, Mr Danny Chua asked "How will bird-flu drugs be allocated?" (ST, 8 June), in the event of a flu pandemic.

Based on WHO recommendations, we have stockpiled 1.05 million courses of Tamiflu, sufficient to cover one-quarter of the resident population.  Tamiflu has a limited shelf-life of three to five years and the stock will have to be replaced with new purchases regularly.  This is therefore a very costly measure.

That is why the stockpile is based not on the entire population but a proportion of it.  WHO's best estimate is that up to a quarter of the population may fall sick in the event of a pandemic.  If so, our Tamiflu stockpile will be enough to treat all persons who are ill, besides rendering protection of staff in essential services such as healthcare workers, the Police, SCDF, SAF. This will ensure that crucial services continue during a pandemic.