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Health officials monitor shortages of Tamiflu

By Elsa Gillis
By Elsa Gillis

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Each day, people walk into pharmacies to purchase Tamiflu.

Channel 9 learned that some forms of the medication are hard to come by in the area.

Wearing a protective mask, Lillian McGee was back at the drugstore Friday after testing positive for the flu last week.

FLU SEASON COVERAGE:

McGee said she hasn’t had trouble getting the medication she needs, but the Food and Drug Administration said it is closely watching reports of the shortages of Tamiflu.

"I'm just being careful,” McGee said. “They said I'd probably be contagious a few more days. There have been over 100 deaths in North Carolina, so this has been a bad one for sure."

Adults take Tamiflu in pill form, but children take it in liquid form, and that’s the form that is in short supply.

"Well, I think it’s a shame when it’s need. I had no problem, so I was lucky,” McGee said.

Channel 9 called to check the supply of Tamiflu and its generic form at 24 pharmacies across the Charlotte area.

Ten of them were out of either the generic liquid drug for children or certain dosages of the generic drug for adults.

One pharmacy said it hasn't been able to get the generic liquid drug in weeks and another said its supplier said the liquid form is on back order until March.

Pharmacists told Channel 9 that most insurance companies only cover the generic form, forcing many to pay out of pocket for the brand-name drug Tamiflu.

"I just heard the other day how many have died from it,” Gail Hersey said. “If you couldn't get the medicine that would help, that would really be bad."

If it got to the point when the children's form of the drug, generic or Tamiflu, was totally unavailable, some pharmacists said they can compound the adult capsules into the right dosing for a child, but the situation hasn't gotten to that point yet.

Channel 9 checked with the YMCA to see if it's taking extra precautions at local branches.

So far, is said, it is not.

YMCA officials said all branches are cleaned regularly with a chemical known to kill the flu virus.

Sick children are required to stay out of YMCA child care programs until they're no longer contagious.

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