US Tamiflu Shortage Blamed on Buyers Failing to Stock Up Before Flu Season
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A US shortage of influenza treatment Tamiflu was caused in part by distributors failing to stock up before the flu season, according to the head of one of the largest generic manufacturers of the drug.
Chirag Patel, co-chief executive officer of Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc., told investors at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference that his company had been asking US buyers to order sufficient quantities of the medicine since April. That’s when the flu season began in Australia, and the severity of influenza there can foreshadow what’s in store for the US.