News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, March 1, 2006 |
Contact: HHS Press Office (202)
690-6343 |
HHS Buys Additional Antiviral Medication As Preparations for Potential
Influenza Pandemic Continue
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the purchase of additional
antiviral drugs that could be used in the event of a potential influenza
pandemic. The department has ordered 1.75 million treatment courses of
antiviral drug zanamivir (Relenza®) from GlaxoSmithKline and 12.4 million
treatment courses of oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu®) from Roche. These
drugs will be added to the already purchased 5.5 million treatment courses
of antiviral drugs for the Strategic National Stockpile and be provided to
the states when an influenza pandemic is deemed to be imminent.
"Having a stockpile of antiviral drugs is an important part of our
pandemic influenza preparedness plan," Secretary Leavitt said. "These
purchases are a continuation of our aggressive multi-pronged approach to a
potentially critical public health challenge."
The HHS Pandemic Plan calls for the department, in concert with the
Congress and in collaboration with the states, to ultimately acquire
sufficient quantities of antiviral drugs to treat 25 percent of the U.S.
population. An added goal of these purchases is to stimulate development
of expanded domestic production capacity sufficient to accommodate
subsequent needs through normal commercial transactions.
Today's acquisition announcement builds on the Administration's overall
planning to increase pandemic preparedness. President Bush has outlined a
coordinated government strategy that includes the establishing the new
International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, stockpiling
antiviral medications, enhancing domestic capacity to develop and
manufacture influenza vaccines and dose-sparing technology, expanding
early-warning systems domestically and abroad and new funding and
initiatives for local and state level preparedness.
In December 2005, Secretary Leavitt met with senior officials from all
50 states and launched a series of preparedness summits to be held in
every state over the next several months with the goal of enhancing state
and local preparedness. To date, pandemic preparedness summits have been
held in 18 states including Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont and West
Virginia.
More information on pandemic preparedness is available at www.pandemicflu.gov.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are
available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last revised: March 1, 2006
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