State residents asked not to hoard at home

State health officials say: Please don't. Hoarding anti-viral drugs for a pandemic that has yet to strike isn't necessary and could hamper governments trying to set aside supplies for the masses.

"I think (Tamiflu) is going to be in such short supply that we as a community are all in this together, and we need to be trying to make sure that what is manufactured can be used in a high-risk population," said Dr. Richard Mandsager, state public health director.

Neither Mandsager nor Dr. Jay Butler, state chief epidemiologist, has a personal supply for their families.

But not all doctors feel this way. At the January state medical board meeting, board member Dr. John Duddy said he has a stockpile of anti-viral medications for his family to last a couple of weeks, as well as drugs for his office staff.

Someone at the meeting suggested the drug may not be effective during a pandemic.

"What else do you have?" asked Duddy, an Anchorage orthopedic surgeon. "We don't have a vaccine."

Duddy could not be reached last week to talk about his stockpile of antiviral drugs.

ABOUT THOSE VACCINES

Vaccines against the H5N1 bird flu strain are being created and tested, but health officials acknowledge they can't know for sure what virus will cause the next flu pandemic and how effective these vaccines will be.

Mandsager said he's concerned about how residents might handle their personal Tami- flu stockpile. "If people have it, the temptation is going to be to start it when they have symptoms that seem to be consistent with the flu, even if we don't have evidence of H5N1," he said.

The public health director said he's concerned that overuse could cause the flu virus to become resistant to the drug. Also, not everyone can safely take anti-viral flu drugs, and some side effects can be serious. Tamiflu also can interact with other medications people are taking.

WHAT DOES IT COST?

Tamiflu costs more in the private market than it does through government-negotiated buying rates. Butler said a prescription could cost a private party $40 to $50. It has a shelf life of about four years, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is studying whether that can be extended, he said.