Home | About NaturalNews | Contact Us | Write for NaturalNews | Media Info | Advertise with Natural News
flu

FDA Panel Seeks to Water Down Warnings on Tamiflu Side Effects

Saturday, July 19, 2008 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer




Share
(NaturalNews) An FDA advisory panel has recommended that warning labels for the flu drug Tamiflu be amended to emphasize that the reported side effects might also occur in flu patients who are not taking the drug.

After reports of nearly 600 psychiatric side effects since the drug's introduction in 1999, the FDA asked an advisory panel to review whether the warning label on Tamiflu should be strengthened. The use of Tamiflu has been heaviest in Japan, where there have been reports of at least 14 deaths due to neuropsychiatric symptoms among flu patients taking the drug. According to the FDA, five children under the age of 17 died after "falling from windows or balconies or running into traffic."

There have been a total of 25 deaths linked to Tamiflu, three of them in the United States.

Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, is an anti-viral medication that can be used to treat or prevent influenza. When used as a treatment, it reduces the duration of flu symptoms by approximately one day. South Korea has issued a warning against prescribing Tamiflu to teenagers, while in Japan the warning includes children as young as 10.

But while the FDA panel recommended that the warning label on Tamiflu be strengthened to note that psychiatric episodes linked to the drug's use have resulted in serious injury or death, it also voted 8-6 to note that such reactions may be due solely to the influenza virus.

"It is still difficult to determine if these events are due to drug, disease, or both," said FDA safety reviewer Adrienne Rothstein.

According to dissenting FDA panel member Michael E. Fant, the very fact that the drug's psychiatric side effects have been under discussion for more than two years is worrisome.

"That in and of itself says we have enough concern that it warrants conveying those concerns to the public," Fant said.

Get breaking health news + a LIFETIME 7% discount on everything at the NaturalNews Store
Join two million monthly readers. Email privacy 100% protected. Unsubscribe at any time.

Articles Related to This Article:

Timeline: World History of Viral Pandemics: 412BC to 2009

Bird flu timeline: A history of influenza from 412 BC – AD 2006

How to Beat and Prevent the Avian Flu and Other Influenzas

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, Vaccines and Flu Shots

Flu Vaccines, pharma fraud, quack science, the CDC and WHO -- all exposed by Richard Gale and Gary Null

Flu vaccines revealed as the greatest quackery ever pushed in the history of medicine

Related video from NaturalNews.TV


Your NaturalNews.TV video could be here.
Upload your own videos at NaturalNews.TV (FREE)

Have comments on this article? Post them here:

 people have commented on this article.

Related Articles:

Timeline: World History of Viral Pandemics: 412BC to 2009

Bird flu timeline: A history of influenza from 412 BC – AD 2006

How to Beat and Prevent the Avian Flu and Other Influenzas

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic, Vaccines and Flu Shots

Flu Vaccines, pharma fraud, quack science, the CDC and WHO -- all exposed by Richard Gale and Gary Null

Flu vaccines revealed as the greatest quackery ever pushed in the history of medicine

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us

Permalink to this article:

Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.

Embed article link: (copy HTML code below):
Most Popular
Today | Week | Month | Year

See all Top Headlines...


GET YOUR FREE GIFT + SHOW DETAILS.


Now Available from NaturalNews.TV

Across the Web

More News...

Also on NaturalNews:

Health Ranger Videos
Activist music
CounterThink Cartoons
Food documentaries
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Support NaturalNews Sponsors:
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Most Popular Stories

Collecting rainwater now illegal in many states as Big Government claims ownership over our water Share
FDA finally admits chicken meat contains cancer-causing arsenic (but keep eating it, yo!) Share
Senate Bill S 510 Food Safety Modernization Act vote imminent: Would outlaw gardening and saving seeds Share
Anti-foaming agent found in Chicken McNuggets Share
Court rules organic farmers can sue conventional, GMO farmers whose pesticides 'trespass' and contaminate their fields Share
R.I.P. Bill of Rights 1789 - 2011 Share
Why McDonald's Happy Meal hamburgers won't decompose - the real story behind the story Share
Federal agents raid Mormon food storage facility, demand list of customers storing emergency food Share
H1N1 vaccine linked to 700 percent increase in miscarriages Share
14 signs that the collapse of our modern world has already begun Share
Artificial Sweetener Disease; a new breed of sickness Share
Forensic evidence emerges that European e.coli superbug was bioengineered to produce human fatalities Share
The NaturalNews Store

Huge discounts on supplements, raw foods, botanicals and healthly personal care products. Save up to 50%! Click here to see the current sale items

Health Ranger Storable Organics

GMO-free, chemical-free foods and superfoods for long-term storage and preparedness. Bulk pricing! Shipping immediately. See selection at www.StorableOrganics.com

25 Amazing Facts About Food

This FREE downloadable report unveils a collection of astonishing and little-known facts about the food we eat very day. Click here to read it now...

 

Resveratrol and its Effects on Human Health and Longevity - Myth or Miracle.

Unlock the secrets of cellular health with the "miracle" nutrient Resveratrol Click here to read it now...

 

Nutrition Can Save America

FREE online report shows how we can save America through a nutrition health care revolution. "Eating healthy is patriotic!" Click here to read it now...

The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D

In this exclusive interview, Dr. Michael Holick reveals fascinating facts on how vitamin D is created and used in the human body to ward off chronic diseases like cancer, osteoporosis, mental disorders and more. Click here to read it now...

Vaccines: Get the Full Story

The International Medical Council on Vaccination has released, exclusively through NaturalNews.com, a groundbreaking document containing the signatures of physicians, brain surgeons and professors, all of which have signed on to a document stating that vaccines pose a significant risk of harm to the health of children. Click here to read it now...



This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2011 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.