Tamiflu cannot be used for all patients. — Photo vneconomy.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Drug Administration of Việt Nam (DAV) under the Ministry of Health on Thursday urged Central Pharmaceutical JSC No.2 to import antiviral flu drug Tamiflu 75mg to deal with to a rise in flu cases in localities throughout the country, especially Hà Nội and HCM City.

Tamiflu is the brand name of oseltamivir, an antiviral medication used to treat influenza A and influenza B.

The drug is quickly running out of stock. Hà Nội-based National Hospital of Paediatrics reported that they only had enough Tamiflu for inpatients.

The administration also asked provincial and municipal health departments to proactively contact pharmacies and drug importers to procure and reserve enough Tamiflu to ensure treatment.

Exporters were requested to work with suppliers of antiviral medicines containing oseltamivir which have been registered in Việt Nam right after receiving orders from medical facilities as well as file dossiers of applications for a drug import license for those drugs which are not allowed to be circulated in the domestic market to DAV for consideration.

More than 400,000 cases of flu were reported in November, including ten deaths. The number of patients admitted to central hospitals in Hà Nội and HCM City has soared.

The Ministry of Health predicts a rise in flu cases in the next few months, especially around Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year Holiday) when the weather becomes colder and more humid.

Regarding parents who want to buy Tamiflu and treat their infected children at home, Trần Minh Điển, deputy director the National Hospital of Paediatrics, told broadcasting channel VTC14 that Tamiflu was a prescription-only medicine and could lead to severe complications if misused.

When experiencing symptoms of cough, fever, runny nose and headache, people need to go to hospital for proper diagnosis and medical interventions, the doctor said.

“Tamiflu is only recommended for those suffering other complications or illness. It cannot be used commonly for all flu-infected patients,” said doctor Đỗ Thiện Hải from the National Hospital of Paediatrics. — VNS