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Use leftover Tamiflu to grit icy roads, MP suggests

BMJ 2010; 340 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c501 (Published 26 January 2010) Cite this as: BMJ 2010;340:c501
  1. Zosia Kmietowicz
  1. 1London

    An MP has said that unused supplies of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) pills left over from the swine flu pandemic that never quite happened in the United Kingdom could be used to grit icy roads.

    Paul Flynn, Labour MP for Newport West, filed an early day motion in the House of Commons on 20 January to highlight concerns about the intended mass use of oseltamivir in the UK.

    In it Mr Flynn says he was “surprised” by a recent BMJ systematic review highlighting the fact that in one key meta-analysis included in the review eight of 10 trials of the efficacy of oseltamivir in healthy adults had not been published, verified, or peer reviewed (BMJ 2009;339:b5106; doi:10.1136/bmj.b5106). The review concluded that the evidence that oseltamivir reduces complications in otherwise healthy people with H1N1 influenza is now uncertain.

    Mr Flynn also referred to an article in the BMJ by Nick Freemantle, professor of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Birmingham, in which he surmises that for most healthy adults the benefits of oseltamivir are unlikely to be clinically important (BMJ 2009;339:b5248: doi:10.1136/bmj.b5248).

    Early day motions are ideas put forward for debate in the House of Commons at some time in the future, though they rarely reach the floor of the House.

    In a previous early day motion, issued on 18 January and signed by 16 other MPs, Mr Flynn raised concerns “that exaggerated claims of the dangers of pandemics may undermine the public’s faith in warnings of future serious health emergencies.” He said that the 350 deaths from H1N1 flu in the UK have largely been of people with underlying health problems, and he concluded that “the World Health Organization forecast and fear-mongering by the media greatly overstated the risk” of H1N1 flu.

    Mr Flynn bemoaned the government’s stockpiling of oseltamivir. The Department of Health has bought around 1.1 million courses of antivirals and spent about £1bn on antivirals, antibiotics, and vaccine since July 2005, including £155.4m (€180m; $250m) over four years in contracts for pandemic specific vaccine.

    In his blog on his website (www.paulflynnmp.co.uk) Mr Flynn said, “Unless an alternative use can be found for them [the unused oseltamivir tablets], the Government stand condemned. They would be great for gritting the icy roads.”

    A health department spokesman said, “Creating a stockpile of antivirals is part of our pandemic planning. The stockpile of antivirals we have now means that we continue to be well placed for future influenza pandemic preparedness.”

    Notes

    Cite this as: BMJ 2010;340:c501