Tamiflu Side Effect Concerns Grow After Japan Deaths

Tamiflu is used to treat the common flu and has been seen as effective against the possible pandemic triggered by bird flu. But concerns over this blockbuster flu drug are growing as the death toll is rising.

Japan has ordered an investigation Tuesday after a 14-year-old boy who took Tamiflu was pronounced dead Tuesday after he jumped from the 11th floor of a condominium in the northern Japanese city of Sendai.

Local police spokesman had said that according to their information the boy had woke up in the middle of the night after taking the medication.

"His mother suggested he go use the bathroom, but he opened the front door instead to go outside and jumped off," he said. "The mother immediately rushed out to stop him, but it was too late."

The health ministry said that it would study, Tamiflu, but stopped short of immediately linking the drug to the deaths.

"The connection has not been made clear, but if that's the case then we will have to study special measures," Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa told reporters

According to a group whose members say there were victims of Tamiflu side effects, says that the move was a little too late. These side effects came to light in Japan in 2005 after 12 children died and 32 experienced abnormal behaviors after taking Tamiflu.

According to the Health Ministry, 54 people have died after taking Tamiflu, and in February, a 14-year-old girl and boy in separate incidents fell to their deaths after taking the drug. Neither of them had left a suicide note.

"Had they issued a warning earlier, then the number of deaths could have been halved," said Haruhiko Nokiba, whose 17-year-old son walked onto an expressway and was killed by a truck that hit him in 2004.

The accident was seen at the time as a suicide. Nokiba heads the victims and families groups and said that her son had no reason to kill himself. She said that circumstances showed that it was a result of abnormal behavior.

Countries around the world are stockpiling the drug in case of a human influenza pandemic that experts fear could be brought about by the H5N1 bird flu virus.

The Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG produces the drug Tamiflu and has denied any link between the drug and these deaths. The company has added that influenza itself could cause psychiatric problems.

In November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided to require Roche to put a caution on Tamiflu labels urging close monitoring for abnormal behavior, such as delirium. Although it has said that it was unknown if the drug contributed to any of the psychiatric problems.
Sources:

Agence France-Presse
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070227/hl_afp/healthflupharmajapantamiflu_070227110711

Reuters
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070306/hl_nm/tamiflu_japan_dc;_ylt=AtXJtZ2zL3eRc65djiV0shta24cA