As the U.S. confronts one of its most severe flu seasons, Tamiflu, a common antiviral medication to treat influenza, is in shortage in pockets across the country, Bloomberg reported Jan. 7.
In Utah, where flu activity is high, pharmacists are not yet reporting supply issues. But in Georgia, where flu activity is very high, drugstores are scrambling for Tamiflu (oseltamivir).
“Hospitals are also asking if we have it,” Parth Patel, PharmD, a pharmacist at an independent pharmacy in Georgia, told Bloomberg.
Prescription fills for Tamiflu seem to have peaked during the last week of December, according to GoodRx.
The FDA does not include oseltamivir in its drug shortage list, but the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ drug shortage database does. According to the ASHP, 10 presentations are in short supply, including two discontinued Tamiflu presentations from Genentech, four generics from Alvogen, three from Novadoz Pharmaceuticals and one from Amneal Pharmaceuticals.
The drug companies said they could not estimate a resupply date. Twenty-one other presentations of oseltamivir are available, according to the ASHP.
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