No shortage of flu medicine
In response to information about the shortage of the flu treatment drug Tamiflu due to the increase in flu cases leading to people's need to buy and stockpile, a representative of the Drug Administration of Vietnam, Ministry of Health, said that drugs containing the active ingredient Oseltamivir are still in guaranteed supply.
Many people are looking to buy the flu drug Tamiflu (illustrative photo).
Regarding Tamiflu, according to information from the importing company, the current inventory is more than 10,000 boxes, in addition to just selling more than 30,000 boxes to the distribution company and will soon import about 50,000 more boxes. The country also produces and supplies drugs containing Oseltamivir, currently has more than 300,000 pills with the wholesale price remaining the same.
The Drug Administration of Vietnam has also issued documents requesting units to be proactive in supply sources and not to hoard goods to increase prices on December 2, 2024 and February 7, 2025.
According to the Ministry of Health, although the number of flu cases has increased locally since the end of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday in 2025. Current flu cases have not recorded changes in virulence, mainly influenza A(H1N1), A(H3N2) and influenza B.
Do not use Tamiflu without permission.
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Duy Cuong, Director of the Center for Tropical Diseases, Bach Mai Hospital, said: 80-90% of flu cases are mild and can heal on their own. Only cases with prolonged, continuous high fever and lung damage need to be hospitalized for treatment. And not all flu patients need to take Tamiflu. Mild flu cases do not need to take Tamiflu, the disease will heal on its own.
"The antiviral drug for treating influenza is Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) which helps to quickly reduce symptoms, but requires a prescription and close monitoring by a specialist. This is a drug used to inhibit virus replication, reducing the ability of the virus to adhere to the respiratory tract. Not all patients with influenza use Tamiflu. Using Tamiflu is only effective if the flu is diagnosed early within the first 48 hours, as prescribed by a doctor," Mr. Cuong noted.
According to medical experts, Tamiflu must be used as prescribed, and should only be used in cases of influenza A and influenza A in special conditions such as patients at risk of severe disease progression (with underlying diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes or immunocompromised patients...).
The World Health Organization and the Association of Respiratory and Cardiovascular Diseases... recommend that subjects such as the elderly, people with weak immune systems, people with underlying diseases, chronic diseases, cancer, women preparing to become pregnant or pregnant, children under 5 years old... should proactively get vaccinated against influenza every year to prevent the disease. The seasonal flu vaccine will help our immune system fight the virus when there is a flu epidemic and if we get sick, it will reduce the risk of severe progression. It should be noted that the flu vaccine needs to be repeated every year, not just a one-time injection for long-term immunity.
For pregnant women in the first 3 months, if they get seasonal flu, they need to be closely monitored, because the flu virus affects the development of the fetus and can cause birth defects. Therefore, women should take the initiative to get vaccinated against flu before becoming pregnant, even if they are pregnant, they can still get vaccinated against flu.
In addition, to prevent the disease, it is necessary to implement non-specific disease prevention measures such as: improving personal hygiene, wearing masks, hand hygiene, keeping warm, eating nutritious food, environmental hygiene such as avoiding humid air, lack of sunlight, cleaning surfaces, and limiting contact with crowded places.
According to the representative of the Drug Administration of Vietnam, acts of taking advantage of and increasing selling prices for personal gain will be punished according to Clause 4, Article 15 of Decree 87/2024/ND-CP dated July 12, 2024 with a fine of 50-80 million VND for individuals; for organizations, the fine will be doubled according to the provisions of Clause 4, Article 3 of this Decree;
In addition, according to the provisions of Clause 5, Article 15 of Decree 87/2024/ND-CP, organizations and individuals who commit this violation are also required to remedy the consequences, specifically, to return to customers the amount of money they have profited from the administrative violation.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/thuoc-tamiflu-dieu-tri-cum-co-khan-hiem-192250210141528117.htm
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