Canada adjusts pandemic drug stockpile mix over resistance fear

The Public Health Agency of Canada, which maintains the nation's stockpile of pandemic influenza medicines, has announced plans to  restructure its provision for a potential human-transmitted avian  influenza outbreak. The main change is to reduce the proportion of  Switzerland-based drug major Roche's Tamiflu (oseltamivir), with greater  quantities of UK-headquartered pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline's  Relenza (zanamivir) being ordered.

However, because of drug-resistance concerns, especially the H1N1  strain, the Agency is studying the use of Tamiflu in combination with  other agents - amantadine or rimantadine. Arlene King, the director  general of the PHAC's center for immunization and respiratory infectious  diseases, told Canada's leading private television network, CTV: "I  think the general view is that, from a scientific perspective, greater  diversification [of stockpiles] would be desirable."

Tamiflu currently accounts for 90% of the national antiviral stockpile  versus 10% for Relenza, for a total of 55.7 million doses, enough for  5.6 million out of Canada's 33.2 million people. Another drug reserve,  the federal national emergency stockpile, raises the coverage to about  25% of the population.